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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213479">I Want Something (Just Like This)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheritsundere/pseuds/cheritsundere'>cheritsundere</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Say You'll See Me Again [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunter X Hunter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Magical Girls, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Embarrassed Killua Zoldyck, Eventual Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck, Gen, I'm going somewhere with this I promise, Kinda, M/M, Mutual Pining, Protective Killua Zoldyck, Secret Identity, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, We mostly see it from Killua though lol, With a lot of friendship in between those two :DDDDD, but I'm still tagging it just in case, happy corona isolation everyone I hope you all are safe, like you'll see what I mean, the leopika is more in the background and only happens in chapters 2 and 3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 10:13:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23213479</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheritsundere/pseuds/cheritsundere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Look, Brother! They have a new action figure of you-R FAVORITE HUNTER," Alluka said, correcting her word choice when she remembered that they were out in public.</p><p>He looked into the store shop window. Situated among some of the most popular hunters was a tiny version of himself, striking a dynamic pose - his jacket flowing dramatically and little blue sparks decorating the base. It wasn't bad. Definitely an improvement over his 1st merch.</p><p>He heard a gasp to his left. "SilverShock is your favorite too?!" </p><p>With a quick turn, Killua was met with the biggest brown eyes he thought could exist and a smile even bigger. The kid couldn't be much older than him yet he had a feeling that Mr. Sunshine probably acted closer to a Kindergartner. He took a few steps closer to his sister to put some distance between them before answering. "He's more my sis's fave than mine, but yeah I think he's cool," Killua answered, internally patting himself on the back for his modesty. He was probably the best newcomer in the country if his stats were anything to go by, but still...</p><p>Mr. Sunshine was a fan of his?<br/>-----<br/>A Superhero AU where Gon and Killua work together often but don't know the other's secret identity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gon Freecs &amp; Alluka Zoldyck &amp; Killua Zoldyck, Gon Freecs/Killua Zoldyck, Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight, Minor or Background Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Say You'll See Me Again [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632319</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>622</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Something I Can Turn To</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>[Looks at the news] So this is how we die, huh? On a better note: YOU GUYS ARE TOO KIND AND I'M SO HAPPY YOU HAVE BEEN ENJOYING THE SERIES SO FAR. </p><p>Reading all the comments and seeing all the kudos on Maybe the Ocean is Your Hand got me so pumped to keep writing and working on this series, but I ended up getting a little sick after just starting the next part (not with COVID-19 thank god) so I had to take a break. Thankfully, I'm now basically back to full health and am able to start writing again.</p><p>I decided to take <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/comments/285843082">one of the suggestions</a>  left in the comments of the previous work and run with it, the end product being this - this weird amalgamation of a story modeled after works like Miraculous Ladybug, BnHA, typical Marvel and DC superhero stories, as well as Magical Girl anime/manga that I grew up with like Sailor Moon or the more recent Madoka Magica (this world won't be as dark as Madoka though, dw). It's. It's a weird world, but one I'm very fond of and slightly proud for mashing together. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did making it. Credits to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/DamiPhantom/pseuds/DamiPhantom">DamiPhantom</a> for suggesting the concept for this wonderful AU and while it it is quite different than you proposed, I hope you find it fun to read nonetheless. This is going to be my first multichaptered fic of the series and I'm a little nervous, but I promise you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter. It should be out by Monday if all goes well :D </p><p>This first chapter follows Killua's normal life more than his work as his Alter Ego, so don't expect much masked identity shenanigans yet. There will be plenty next chapter to make up for this one though lol</p><p>Notes of the setting and concept art below the quote. As before, feel free to skip these and go straight to the fic if you so choose, this just provides some background information of the world to enhance your reading. The story can be enjoyed just the same without these, it only helps:</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em><strong>Whenever I think of him...I don’t know why, but my chest feels so tight. It’s hard to breath. I need to keep it secret just a little bit longer. - Naoko Takeuchi, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2.</strong> </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><hr/><p>  </p><p>               </p><hr/><p>
  <em>“So tell me, Applicant #99. What is your wish?” an old man with a long white beard asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth. He slowly dipped the tip of the calligraphy brush into a well of ink while meticulously smoothing out a blank white piece of parchment that lay on the desk he was sitting at. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Killua watched as the black liquid swirled back and forth with ease, a tiny whirlpool dancing before his eyes. “It can be anything, right?” he asked, putting his hands in his pockets. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“As long as the wish is pure of heart, yes,” he replied with a knowing chuckle. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“So if I said I wanted my family to drop dead that wouldn’t work,” Killua soured. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The old man stroked his beard at the statement. “Not necessarily...why do you want them dead?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Killua huffed. “Because if they were dead, Alluka would finally be free and I-” he cut himself off. He wasn’t going to sit here and spill his life story to some geezer.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Let me rephrase the question: would the world be a better place if they weren’t in it?” the man asked, his expression taking on a serious air.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Killua met his eyes and nodded. “Absolutely,” he said, voice resolute. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The man lifted the brush out of the ink, his hand glowing a soft golden hue. With deliberate and confident strokes he wrote a string of sentences onto the parchment. When he finished, he signed the bottom with the name ‘Netero’ and added a blank space to the side before handing the parchment to Killua for him to view. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“If you accept the contract, please state your name and recite the words on the parchment out loud. Don’t worry, your signature will appear automatically."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>There was no need for hesitation. This was exactly what he wanted.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“My name is Killua Zoldyck. In the name of Protecting and Promoting Innocence, Empathy, Success, and Society, I swear to devote my life as a Hunter. In exchange, I ask of you one humble request: That my sister and I shall live free from the grasps of my family and that their lives be forfeit, for a world where they exist is not a world filled of HAPPINESS.”</em>
</p><hr/><p>[3 years later]</p><p>Killua opens his eyes groggily to the tune of a ringing in his ear. A soft moan of protest escapes his lips as he pulls back the warm covers that were once covering his head. With a soft click on the ‘off’ button, the alarm disappears.</p><p>
  <em>‘7 already? It’s like I just fell asleep, what the hell...’</em>
</p><p>Killua’s cotton slippers slide against the cold wooden floor boards of his and Alluka’s tiny apartment as he tiptoes his way to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Alluka wouldn’t have to be up for another 30 minutes, the last thing he wanted to do was wake her prematurely. He smiled softly at the door to her bedroom and pictured the young girl sleeping peacefully, her cheek pressed into the new pillow covers they had just purchased last week, before turning the stove on and opening up the fridge. Ah. They were getting low on groceries again. He sighed. Maybe it was time he swallowed his pride and borrowed that money Canary tried to give him when they first left. She meant well and didn’t offer it out of pity or some sense of superiority like he was sure his family would have. Actually, they never would have offered any money period. </p><p><em>‘You don’t need them anyway,’</em> a voice reminded him. Right. He didn’t. He never did. All they gave him was-</p><p>He grabbed the milk and eggs, slamming the door with a little more force than usual. </p><p>“Brother? You okay?” Alluka’s voice echoed from her closed door.</p><p>Killua flinched. Okay, so he used a <em>lot</em> more force than usual. Dammit. “Yeah, sorry to wake you!” </p><p>With a quick ‘it’s fine’, Killua assumed his little sister had fallen back to sleep. He gently picked out a bowl and whisk from the cabinet, carefully adjusting his actions to before his harsh treatment of the fridge. </p><p>It was too early for this. </p><hr/><p>“You sure you don’t want me to walk you to first period? It’s a pretty big campus...” Killua asked. He stuffed his skateboard into his locker before grabbing his book bag. </p><p>To his side, Alluka shuffled out of her tennis and put on the school’s classroom shoes. She smiled down at the brown loafers before doing a small twirl, marveling at the green skirt that flowed out with the wind - it’s pleats unwinding to give the skirt a full effect. Like this, she could imagine she was a princess in a ballgown. Sure, the ballgown was a weird green color and only went to her knees but it was better than when she used to have to wear stuffy and boring pants. <em>Way</em> better. </p><p>“I’m sure - I want to find it on my own. Don’t worry, if I can’t find it right away I’ll ask a teacher. They probably get asked for directions a lot the first week,” she answered cheerfully. She knew her big brother meant well but she needed this. Hopefully her answer was good enough to stop him from worrying any more. If his face was anything to go by though, it wasn’t. </p><p>Killua’s mouth was twisted into a frown and his arms found themselves crossed over his chest. He pressed up against the now closed lockers and gave her a once over, eyes holding steady when they met hers. </p><p>He blinked. </p><p>She did as well.</p><p>All at once, the tension in his body loosened with a deep sigh and Alluka’s smile widened. “Okay, you win-”</p><p>“Thank you thank you thank you ~ !” she giggled, pouncing on her brother and wrapping him up in the biggest hug she could manage. “I promise I’ll be safe and meet you by the cafeteria’s doors for lunch, just like you said!” </p><p>“Good. And remember, if anyone tries to take you off campus - <em>anyone at all</em> -” he started.</p><p>“Refuse and run to Mr. Paladiknight in the nurse’s office as quick as I can!” she answered gleefully, squeezing her brother more before letting go and picking up her books. With a skip in her step, she started off to the Mathematics building before giving her brother a quick wave and another smile. “Love you!” </p><p>A few heads turned at her before landing their gaze at Killua. A few laughed while others made whistle sounds. Killua glared. He casually placed his fingertips to the lockers - sending out a quick pulse. Immediately, the giggles and catcalls turned to confused cries. Killua hid a grin. “For the record, she’s my<em> sister</em>,” he said, nonchalantly adjusting his book bag and heading to the English department. “Not my girlfriend. And if you morons even look at her wrong you’ll find your heads stuck in those lockers, not a bunch of boring ass text books.” </p><p>As he walked, Killua pulled out his headphones and placed them on, turning up his old MP3 player to muffle the world around him. He closed his eyes and listened to the soothing jazz fill his head. It was calming.</p><p>While they had it coming, he was sure that the little zap he just did wasn’t exactly the most moral choice as far as his Soul Gem was concerned. He looked down at the gem perched on the silver ring wrapped around his left index and watched as the slightly dull color swirled before coming to a brilliant bright electric blue. <em>‘Much better’. </em></p><p>He hummed softly to the lyrics of the song gracing his ears before turning it off and placing his headphones into his book bag again. Glancing at the room numbers, Killua eventually made his way to room E-3 and found a seat near the back.</p><p>“Welcome to AP English, everyone. I hope you all found your classes with little to no problems and are ready to look over the syllabus included in your student handbook. But first, let me do a quick rollcall to make sure everyone is present. When I call your name, feel free to stand up and introduce yourself to the class.” A man with black hair and glasses peered over the screen of a tablet in his right hand, listing off the first of many names to follow. One by one, each student stood up and introduced themselves.</p><p>Killua gave the teacher a once-over, taking in his rather clumsy appearance with an untucked button shirt and narrowed his eyes to focus on the ID badge clipped crookedly to the man’s breast pocket. This was his English teacher? Talk about unimpressive. Why the hell had the Association recommended <em>this</em> school? Sure, Yorknew was a city crawling with tons of Prey and always needed Hunters, but it also had a lot of schools to choose from. And this - A guy who looked like he just rolled out of bed and did the time old tradition of ‘say something about yourself to the class’ - was the<em> best</em> they could offer?</p><p>“-And lastly, Killua Zoldyck?” the teacher smiled at him, dragging Killua out of his thoughts. “Feel free to tell us a little bit about yourself.”</p><p>He stood up from his desk, pushing some of his hair behind his left ear before then sticking his hands into his pockets. He looked at the teacher, figuring that addressing his introduction towards him was better than looking nowhere in particular. “I’m Killua. I like video games and skateboarding. My sister and I just moved to Yorknew last month. Not really sure what else to add to that so...yeah.” He finished awkwardly, trying to find something else to say. “Nice to meet you.” He returned to his seat, hoping that his cheeks didn’t betray the embarrassed heat that was currently rising to them. </p><p>The teacher chuckled. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Killua. As was it to meet everyone in the class,” he turned his attention to the rest of the students, putting his tablet down. “I want to introduce myself to you now.” </p><p>Killua’s eyebrows rose. Okay, so this was new.</p><p>“I can tell by the looks on everyone’s faces that you weren’t expecting that,” he adjusted his glasses, a pleasant smile resting on his mouth. “Believe it or not, we teachers do have personalities outside of being ‘Plain Looking English Teacher #32’, you know.”</p><p>Killua felt a puff of air escape his lips while his classmates reacted similarly with a few outright giggling. His teacher’s smile only grew at the response.</p><p>“My name is Toshihiko Wing, but you can just call me Mr. Wing. I’ve been a teacher here at Heavens' Academy for around 7 years now, but I actually started my teaching career at Dayroad High. During the summer I teach Aikido at the Shingen-ryo Dojo over on 5th. I love martial arts in general and I have been told I am a fairly talented writer. I’ve actually written a few books over the history and affluence of martial arts like Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, and Aikido of course,” he finished, catching glimpses of questioning eyes - all filled with either wonder or skepticism.</p><p>Killua fell more on the skeptic side of things. ‘Mr Wing’ didn’t seem remotely like a published author in his mind. Then again, they always said to never judge a book by it’s cover. He guessed in this case, Wing took that concept literally. </p><p>“<em>’You don’t look like a published author’</em>, I’m sure most of you are thinking,” he began.</p><p>Killua jumped slightly. <em>‘The hell?’</em>  If he didn’t know any better, he’d say the guy was a mind reader. </p><p>“And no, I didn’t just read your minds,” he continued, waving a hand. An almost knowing twinkle was in his eye as he began his next sentence. “I’m just used to this. You see, every semester I begin class like this and every semester I am met with these same responses. I’m sure the second you all heard me ask for self introductions you figured it’d be business as usual. That people would list off random useless and pointless facts about their likes and dislikes to,” he raised his hands to create air quotes, “’<em>break the ice’</em> despite the fact that, 9 times out of 10, a student only feels more self conscious when put on the spot like that.” He finished, taking in the wide eyed students in from of him. “Can I be honest with you all?”</p><p>Killua nodded on instinct, his attention almost unwavering. He could only assume his classmates had responded the same way judging by the look Mr. Wing gave before following up his question with an elaboration.</p><p>“I <em>hated</em> icebreakers when I was a student. They didn’t work for me. I’d get all nervous and stutter trying to list off anything about myself I could think of. Mostly because I thought <em>‘I’m not all that interesting’</em> and <em>‘I’m probably not going to talk to most people in here anyway, so why bother?”</em>  With a quick gesture to himself, he continued. “And then, after the icebreaker, the teacher would move right along onto the lesson like we all somehow are best friends and not like they didn’t just waste 15 minutes of the class having students share absolutely nothing about themselves. So, the day I became a teacher I swore to myself I’d never be like them.” </p><p>He made his way to the chalkboard before writing the word <em>‘ICE BREAKER’</em> neatly and large enough that it took up almost half of the space. He circled around <em>‘BREAK’</em> and then drew an arrow from the word <em>‘ICE’</em> to the end before erasing the <em>‘ER’</em> itself and replacing it with <em>‘THE’</em>. The words <em>‘BREAK THE ICE’</em> now were now etched in chalk. He turned to the class with a sparkle in his eye.</p><p>“Words are amazing. <em>Language</em> is amazing. Think about it. We, as humans, got together over time and created a system to try and communicate with one another - To tell each other how we feel and what we thought. But somewhere along the way we started trying to give it rules. Suddenly some words were better than others and there was a right and wrong way to say something. If you didn’t say what others wanted you to say or the way they wanted you to say it, it wasn’t worth being said. Words lost their meaning.” he said.</p><p>Killua felt a knot twist in his stomach as he took in Mr. Wing’s face. A notable frown had made its way onto his teacher’s lips almost bitterly. He’d call it practically spiteful. </p><p>“Tell me, students: when you introduced yourself, did you try your best to tell the class about yourself? Or did you try to look for random words to label yourself with and act like that was the same thing?” </p><p>The room was almost deadly silent. Killua dug his nails into the fabric of his pants. </p><p>“’<em>I like soccer’, ‘I draw’, ‘I just moved here’.</em> These don’t really say much, do they? Sure, they describe facts about you but they don’t really describe you. They don’t tell anyone anything. Not really,” he said, the frown now turning into a sad smile. “And it’s not your fault. I’m sure everyone from your parents to your teachers constantly drilled it into you that this was the right way to answer the question <em>‘Tell me about yourself’</em>. I know that was the case for me.”</p><p>Killua released his hold and the grip on his poor pants was finally loosened. </p><p>“<em>’I’ve been a teacher here at Heavens Academy for around 7 years now, but I actually started my teaching career at Dayroad High.’”</em> Mr Wing said, parroting back his self introduction word for word. <em>“During the summer I teach Aikido at the Shingen-ryo Dojo over on 5th. I love martial arts in general and I have been told I am a fairly talented writer. I’ve actually written a few books over the history and affluence of martial arts like Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, and Aikido.’”</em>, he made his way back to his desk and then sat at the edge, leaning back ever so slightly and resting his palms on the surface. </p><p>He looked...comfortable. Killua took a look down at his own posture, now relaxed and calm. He then spared a glace at a couple of his classmates who also looked the most laid back and at ease since they had walked in. Killua looked back at Mr. Wing.</p><p>“With just 4 sentences I told you more about myself than I’m sure you have ever known about a teacher before and most definitely more than what you know about each other. I could have just said <em>‘I’m an English teacher, I like martial arts, and I write books.’</em> I mean, that’s what everything I said boils down to, but I didn’t. <em>‘I’ve been a teacher here at Heavens Academy for around 7 years’</em> tells you that I’m a decently experienced teacher and that I’m probably a lot older than you thought I was. Saying <em>‘During the summer I teach Aikido’</em> implies that I not only am good enough to be a teacher of the sport but that I also enjoy it and also have a second job outside of this school. I then go on to share what type of books I write, that they are published, and that they are fairly well received, which communicates how well I write and what subjects interest me enough to write about. Isn’t that <em>amazing?”</em> he finishes, meeting his student’s glimmering eyes.</p><p>Before he can even stop himself, Killua can feel the curves of a smile take over his face. Well...when Mr. Wing put it like that...</p><p>“So - if it’s alright by you all - I’d love if we could have a do-over. Let’s <em>really</em> break the ice this time. I want to truly and honestly know something, it can be anything, about yourselves. How about we give it a try?” he asks, gesturing to the class with his arms wide open.</p><p>Killua turned to take in his classmates, every person looking at one another and murmuring their agreement. Standing up from the desk, Mr. Wing covered his face with one hand and stuck out his other, pointing at nothing in particular. “Whoever I land on, give us your name again and share something. I don’t care if it’s stupid. I don’t care if it’s really personal. Heck, I don’t even care if it’s 100% completely true. Tell me and the class about yourself. I know I can’t be the only one who really wants to know you!” He spun himself around clumsy and smiled when he heard his new class’s laughter ring out unabashedly. He pointed to a girl with pigtails and green eyes off to the side before uncovering his eyes. “First up?”</p><p>Killua watched her jump up and shout. “My name is Maka and I am changing my answer from <em>‘I like reading’</em> to <em>‘I love reading, especially fantasies, because it’s like being taken to a whole different world.’</em> Sometimes I’ll check out a couple dozen books from the library in one go just because I can’t put them down,” she finished bashfully, before sitting back down. Whether out of courtesy or genuine agreement, the class broke out in applause and a few questions about if she had any recommendations. </p><p>While Killua personally didn’t get into books that much, he wouldn’t deny that he didn’t enjoy a good mystery novel, so to hear someone shout out to the girl that their favorite was an Agatha Christi book was a bit of a thrill. All in all, it seemed Mr. Wing’s first choice for the redo was going well. The student behind her even tapped the girl's shoulder to ask what her favorite book was before Mr. Wing got up and repeated the process, this time pointing to a boy by the window who immediately jumped out of his seat much like the girl before. </p><p>Killua’s eyes widened. <em>‘No way.’</em></p><p>“My name is Gon and I’m changing my answer from <em>‘I like fishing and Hunters’</em> to <em>‘I once caught a 12 lbs Sea bass and I’m a hug fan of the Hunter called SilverShock!’</em>” the boy shouted excitedly, turning to his classmates. “I have pictures of the Sea Bass if anyone wants to see!” </p><p>Killua could hear their classmates answer back excitedly, begging Gon to show them, but he couldn’t focus. How could he? This kid was-</p><p>----</p><p>
  <em>[1 week after moving to Yorknew]</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Look, Brother! They have a new action figure of you-R FAVORITE HUNTER," Alluka said, correcting her word choice when she remembered that they were out in public.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He looked into the store shop window. Situated among some of the most popular hunters was a tiny version of himself, striking a dynamic pose - his jacket flowing dramatically and little blue sparks decorating the base. It wasn't bad. Definitely an improvement over his 1st merch.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He heard a gasp to his left. "SilverShock is your favorite too?!" </em>
</p><p>
  <em>With a quick turn, Killua was met with the biggest brown eyes he thought could exist and a smile even bigger. The kid couldn't be much older than him yet he had a feeling that Mr. Sunshine probably acted closer to a Kindergartner. He took a few steps closer to his sister to put some distance between them before answering. "He's more my sis's fave than mine, but yeah I think he's cool," Killua answered, internally patting himself on the back for his modesty. He was probably the best newcomer in the country if his stats were anything to go by, but still...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mr. Sunshine was a fan of his?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh?” the boy asked, his smile faltering for a second before returning full force, “Then which Hunter is your favorite?” he moved closer, either oblivious or outright ignoring Killua’s want for personal space. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Uh, I like a lot of Hunters...” Killua struggled, eye twitching as he took another step back. What did it matter who his favorite was? “You know like, Knightingale. He’s pretty cool.” Yeah, that was a decent answer. Lots of people liked Leorio’s Alter Ego, so it wasn’t weird for Killua to say he was his favorite. Sure, Leorio was probably one of the only Hunters he actually knew outside of work and that’s why his was the first name that popped into his head, but Mr. Sunshine didn’t have to know that. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Apparently though, this answer wasn’t good enough since the boy in front of him only nodded in agreement, practically begging him to go on and list another Hunter he liked. He wracked his brain for any other Hunters he worked with long enough to warrant being a favorite of his. Most were jerks who only became Hunters for the money or glory, or just acted like being a Hunter was like any other job and they only became one so they could have a wish granted. Not to say he was much different but-</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh wait, that reminded him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I also like FistAid. I’ve wor- uh - watched. Watched him in action a couple of times,” he said quickly. That was close, he almost said he worked with the guy before. Alluka earlier slip up had jinxed him. “He’s probably my favorite out of the new pros.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It wasn’t a lie by all accounts. Killua really didn’t care for most other Hunters and only had a working relationship with them. Leorio was obviously one of the few exceptions but he had also hit it off with FistAid ever since the first Prey they took down together. He always enjoyed himself whenever they’d stumble onto each other and team up for a take-down. His powers had complimented Killua’s well and, unlike a lot of other Hunters Killua had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting, FistAid seemed to genuinely love helping and saving others. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>It didn’t hurt that FistAid was also a lot of fun to just be around and talk to.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>At his answer, Mr. Sunshine’s eyes somehow grew even bigger and turned at least twice as bright. How was that even possible?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Really?! That makes me so happy!” he said, grabbing Killua’s hand. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Killua’s heart leaped into his throat at the touch. “Happy?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah!” Mr. Sunshine answered before getting a strange look on his face and then taking his hand away with a jolt. “I mean-! You don’t hear FistAid mentioned all that often. He doesn’t have very flashy powers after all. It makes me happy for him! To hear someone say he’s their favorite!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Killua raised an eyebrow at Mr. Sunshine’s answer but accepted it regardless. This kid was weird. Obviously not in the bad way but in the ‘Trying to understand you makes me want to find the nearest convenience store and buy a bottle of Tylenol’ kind of way. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Before he could ask the boy his name, if for no other reason than to just have a name for him inside his head besides ‘Mr. Sunshine’, he heard a ring. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Ah- Sorry, just a second-” he said, sheepishly pulling out his phone. He looked at the screen before his eyes widened. “That’s so close to-” he cut himself off before looking back up at Killua and his sister. “It was really nice meeting another SilverShock fan - and a FistAid fan! - but a friend texted me with an emergency so I have to go. I hope you both have a great day!” he waved before sprinting down the street and ducking into an alleyway. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Killua was left flabbergasted. What had just happened here? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>He looked towards his sister who also seemed slightly dazed and most definitely confused. She looked back at him.“Well. Okay then,” She then turned back to the store and pointed back to the figurine. “Anyway. Can I buy it, Big Brother? You know I’m SilverShock’s number one fan, after all!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He laughed.</em>
</p><p>----</p><p>That day, Killua walked out of the store 30 bucks poorer before getting an alert by the Association that a Prey was sighted in Central and they needed another Hunter on the scene. It wasn’t until after taking down a huge wolf like Prey and exchanging a high five with FistAid that he remembered his words to the boy and dreaded not having caught his name.</p><p>And now, here he was. Right in front of him.</p><p>And they were classmates.<em> Classmates.</em></p><p>“-Thank you for sharing, Gon,” Mr. Wing laughter drew Killua's attention back to the current situation as he watched the teacher hand Gon back his cellphone. “Now, as much fun as it’s been, spinning around like a madman-” The class giggled. “It’d probably save us a lot of time and a few of my braincells if everyone volunteered to do their reintroduction. Sound fair?”</p><p>Each student went down the line, sharing a few details about themselves with a new rigor and pep. Killua didn’t mean zone out, but he couldn’t bring himself to remember most of everyone’s speech. He was still kind of reeling from the earlier bombshell that ‘Mr. Sunshine’ was now ‘Gon’ and was in the same English class as him. </p><p>Eventually, the introductions had finally made their way back to the student in front of him and Killua willed his attention span to focus. This guy was probably going to be his neighbor for the rest of the semester - the least Killua could do was remember his name. </p><p>“My name is Ikalgo and I’m changing my answer from <em>‘I like swimming and going to the beach’</em> to <em>‘I love water, period,’</em>” he laughed sheepishly. “I’ve always just enjoyed being near it, you know? Beaches, lakes, pools, you name it. In middle school, I was part of our swimming team too and I took first place at State. It’s great to meet you all! If you ever want to learn to swim, I’d gladly offer lessons in exchange for you doing my homework- I mean,” he cut himself off at Mr. Wing’s look, “<em>helping</em> me with my homework.”</p><p>Everyone, even Killua himself, laughed at that before clapping. When the applause died down, Mr. Wing looked at Killua expectantly. </p><p>Well, it was now or never.</p><p>Killua stood up again, this time a little more confident and definitely less anxious. “My name’s Killua and I’m changing my answer from<em> ‘I like video games and skateboarding’</em> to <em>‘I can do a Gazelle kick flip with my eyes closed and my favorite games are JRPGs.’</em> Even the really cheesy written ones like Kingdom Hearts,” he said, scratching his nose. “I also like fighting games and won a Super Smash Brothers’ tournament one time. I carry my Switch with me if anyone ever wants to play or add me...” he trailed off, trying to meet the eyes of some of his classmates. </p><p>Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Mr. Sunsh - Gon - pull out a device in a bright green color from his book bag and jump up out of his seat. “What’s your friend code?!”</p><p>Killua saw a couple of the other students reach for their own book bags, presumably to grab their own. Even Ikalgo pulled out a Switch Lite, an almost pinkish red color, and turned to face him. He looked up in shock to Mr. Wing, ready to hear the teacher yell at the students for taking out a bunch of games in the middle of class, but was instead met with a welcoming smile and a hand gesturing for Killua to go on.</p><p>He didn’t have to be told twice.</p><p>Killua reached into his book bag, quickly taking out his Switch and turned it on, pulling up his friend code. </p><p>Well. It seemed like Mr. Wing was a pretty cool teacher after all.</p><hr/><p>The rest of the class was fairly uneventful in comparison if Killua was being honest. Friend codes were exchanged and Mr. Wing went over the class syllabus as well as the Student Code of Conduct. The period then wrapped up with him wishing them all the best of luck in the rest of their classes for the day with a reminder that his free period was 5th if anyone needed anything. The bell rang out right after, too soon for Killua’s liking. Reluctantly, Killua left his seat, pulling out his class schedule to check which room number he was supposed to be going to next. </p><p>He sighed. Ugh, of course math was next. </p><p>He was so distracted by nightmarish thoughts of upcoming equations and triangles and pi that he practically jumped when a finger tapped him on the shoulder. “Oh, sorry! I just wanted to say it was cool getting to see you again! Pretty lucky, huh?” the owner of the finger said. </p><p>Killua turned and locked eyes with a pair of deep brown ones. It was like a weird sense of deja vu.</p><p>“Gon, right?” Killua asked, taking in the way Gon lit up at being called by name. <em>‘Cute,’</em>  his mind supplied unhelpfully.</p><p>“Yeah! You might not remember me...” he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.</p><p>“The SilverShock fan from the toy store on Main,” he supplied, looking off to the side. He couldn’t forget Gon if he tried.</p><p>“Ah! You remembered!” he beamed.</p><p>“And you remembered me. Good to know.” Killua smiled back. While they hadn’t known each other for long, he had a feeling Gon was going to be one of his favorite classmates. He just oozed personality and had an air of joy around him. It was hard not to get drawn in.</p><p>“Of course I did! It’s not everyday I meet a FistAid AND SilverShock fan! I hated having to leave like that. I’m so glad we got to meet again,”  Gon said, practically bursting with enthusiasm. “Want to compare schedules? It’s always fun having a friend in class so it’d be awesome if we had more together!”</p><p>Oh? So they were friends, huh? </p><p>“You move pretty fast,” Killua joked, giving the boy a smirk. </p><p>Cheeks turning a light pink and eyes growing wide, Gon blurted out an apology.“Ah- I didn’t mean it like-!” </p><p>Seeing his reaction, Killua started laughing. “Calm down, I was just kidding.”</p><p>Gon, recovering immediately, puffed his cheeks out and furrowed his brow. “You’re mean.”</p><p>“Sorry, sorry,” he said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “Here, I’ll make it up to you.” Killua handed Gon his schedule and moved to stand beside him. With a smile, he pointed to his next class. “I’ve got Trig with Knov in class M-2, you?” </p><p>Gon looked at his own, a frown on his face. “Aw man, I have History next with Satotz and Knov’s in 4th period. What about 3rd?”</p><p>“Biology with-” </p><p>“Kite! I know him - he’s really nice and knows a lot about animals. I have him for 3rd period too!” Gon exclaimed. He looked further down the list of teacher names and class numbers. “We have the same elective too! I always wanted to learn how to cook but Aunt Mito didn’t trust me around a stove so when I saw Home Ec I chose it. Do you like cooking, Killua?”</p><p>More like it looked like an easy A and he might be able to swipe some free food when no one was looking. He doubted Gon would like that answer much though so he settled on a more neutral statement. “Sorta. It’s good to learn new recipes when you can, so I figured taking a class couldn’t hurt.”</p><p>Gon cocked his head at that, prompting the voice inside Killua’s head to chime in with another <em>‘cute’</em>. “You must cook a lot if you can run out of recipes.”</p><p>Killua hummed before walking to the door, waiting for Gon to follow his lead. He was having fun talking like this but it’s not like they could just skip their next class. Not on the first day at least. He walked decently paced towards the math department with Gon in tow. “Alluka just gets tired of eating the same thing two nights in a row, so I have to mix it up. And that’s kinda hard to do on a budget and not a lot of recipes.”</p><p>“Who’s Alluka?” Gon asked, weaving in and out of the sea of students all rushing to their next classroom. He narrowly dodged a tall man with a scowl and daggers for eyes by stepping to the side. </p><p>Killua found himself mimicking the action before giving Gon’s sleeve a tug to follow him down the left hallway. “My sis. I’ll introduce you at lunch if you want,” he said before realizing what he just implied. Didn’t he just comment about Gon moving fast? Now <em>he</em> was the one making lunch plans without even asking. He instantly tried to backpedal, hoping to save the situation, but Gon cut him off. </p><p>“Sure! <em>Oh!</em> You and Alluka are new to the city, right? So you probably don’t know a lot of people here,” he stated more than asked. Without waiting for an answer, Gon kept talking. “Do you want to sit with me and a couple of my friends at lunch? Alluka can come too, of course!”</p><p>Killua almost stopped right there in the middle of the hallway before he caught himself and decided the keep up the pace. Man, this place was packed. “Y-yeah, that’d be cool. Thanks,” he replied, still facing forward. He felt his ears burn at Gon’s hospitality and hoped that the boy behind him didn’t notice. </p><p>Not long after, Killua’s classroom came into view. <em>‘Thank god.’</em></p><p>With a thumb pointed to the room behind him, Killua turned to face Gon. “This is me.”</p><p>“Aw okay. See you in 3rd - I’ll save you a seat!’ he yelled, already taking off to the history building with a wave. </p><p>Killua waved back before heading inside. He took in the mostly filled desks and settled on one to the far right, next to one of the windows. This seemed like an okay spot. A quick turn to the side offered a skyline view of some of the skyscrapers Yorknew was famous for, the sides of the buildings seeming to go on forever into the clouds. </p><p>At the very least, this seat came with a great view. </p><p>Figuring he had some time to kill before class started, Killua decided to enjoy the sight and take a breather. While he really did have fun talking to Gon, it was apparent that his new friend took a lot of social energy to keep up with and left Killua feeling almost tired now that he was flying solo again. Alluka had always teased him before about needing to ‘recharge’ after any social interactions, especially the endless parties their family used to hold, but talking to Gon took the cake. </p><p>It was weird though. He felt a slightly winded, sure, but it was different. Saying he was drained, like he normally did, didn’t quite fit. If he had to compare it to something he’d almost say it was like he was coming off of an adrenaline rush. Like the emptiness you get after riding a rollercoaster but having to wait in line for the next one. It was-</p><p>It was anticipation for the next rush. </p><p>Killua knocked his head against the glass of the window, ignoring the shocked looks of the girl sitting behind him. He knew how stupid he looked but he didn’t care. He thought about Gon’s smile and freckles, his bright brown eyes and his endless charisma - not to mention all of the cute habits and ticks he saw earlier. </p><p>He was screwed. He had known the guy for all of 20 minutes and already wanted to know everything about him. He was <em>SO </em>screwed.</p><p>Just then, a vibration went off in his pocket tearing Killua away from his internal dilemma. Checking to make sure no one was really paying him any attention - the girl from before now talking to a few of their other classmates - Killua gave the room a scan before looking down at his phone. </p><p>
  <em>‘Level 4 danger. Minor Outer Station. Snake type Prey. Casualties: Unknown. Hunters Scarlet Jail and Unisong requesting backup. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Level 3 danger. Westside Hospital. Horse type Prey. Casualties: 2. Hunter ShadowWalker in route. In need of assistance.’</em>
</p><p><em>Crap.</em> Both of those were close and if he was getting the alert, chances are not a lot of Hunters were available. Not to mention a Level 4 was serious business. The Level 3 wasn’t much better, but he wouldn’t be much help in a place dependent on electricity like a hospital. He didn’t even want to picture accidentally shutting off power to an operating room or a life support machine. He sent back a reply confirming his assistance at Minor Outer before noticing a response below from FistAid stating he was on his way to Westside. That was good, FistAid would be a great fit for that place, so at least he didn’t have to worry about that Prey anymore. </p><p>Now...how was he going to skip class without making a scene?</p><hr/><p>“-23, no <em>24</em> confirmed saved civilians, Chairman. Yes. Yes, I will fill out the report and have it on your desk by the end of the day. Yes, thank you and I will. Alright. Farewell.”</p><p>Killua eavesdropped the tail end of Scarlet Jail’s conversation while turning back on a nearby tunnel light. Surveying the damage - a few destroyed subway rails, 6 collapsed walls, and 3 wounded - he breathed out a relieved sigh before making his way back to Unisong. “Glad we got here in time. No casualties.”</p><p>“Yes, it is quite fortunate indeed,” Unisong replied with a graceful smile that Killua couldn’t help but return. </p><p>He had worked with Unisong only once before this but had immediately decided that she was his favorite out of any of the veteran Hunters he had worked with so far. Every word she spoke had a calming effect. He’d even call her motherly if Killua had anyone but his own wack job mother to compare her to. </p><p>“SilverShock,” Scarlet Jail’s voice called out to him a few steps away, “Allow me to express my thanks again. Unisong and I struggle with slippery prey, as you saw, so having a Hunter such as yourself was helpful.” </p><p>“No biggie. If anything, I was happy to have a reason to ditch class. Math isn’t my favorite,” he shrugged, recalling his excuse of a family emergency and running to the nearest supply closet to transform.</p><p>Scarlet Jail sighed at Killua's comment, putting his hands on his hips. “While I do appreciate your help in this matter, you shouldn’t skip class like that. I myself felt bad enough leaving work so quickly. Thankfully I doubt anyone will notice if I get back in time...”</p><p>Killua didn’t really know much about Scarlet Jail outside of his powers and reputation from other pros, so hearing about the man’s secret identity was new. It wasn’t often that Hunters discussed their other lives in general. Sure, what Killua did in his normal life was easy to figure out since he was obviously a teenager and almost every one went to school, but adult Hunters' occupation or personal life tended to be a shot in the dark. Hell, he only knew one other Hunter’s job outside of Hunting and even that was only because he knew him personally. </p><p>“A job where no one misses you? Aren’t<em> you</em> living the dream?” Killua replied dully. </p><p>Scarlet Jail just shook his head tiredly, brushing off Killua’s sarcasm with ease. “Anyway, be sure to be careful from now on. If you skip class too often, you might worry your teachers or classmates.”</p><p>“Okay, Mom,” Killua drawled, kicking a pebble before giving Scarlet Jail and Unisong a wave goodbye. “See you guys later.”</p><p>“Yes, it was wonderful working with you again, SilverShock. ‘Til we meet again,” Unisong waved back, laughing at Scarlet Jail’s face - affront at Killua’s farewell nickname.</p><p>Killua concentrated his powers into the soles of his feet before coursing the electricity throughout his body. In an instant, energy filled his veins and he dashed back to school as fast as his powers could take him, zooming by and grabbing a piece of chocolate from the nearest convenience store on the way - grinning when the owner assured him it was on the house as thanks for keeping the city safe. In under a minute, he was outside the school gates and he quickly powered down, ducking behind one of the rose bushes in the courtyard. With a snap of his fingers, his clothes transformed back into his school mandated slacks and blazer and his hair - now back to it's usual black color instead of white - was free of its once previously ponytailed state. His Soul Gem had also returned to his finger and lay glittering up at him from the band of silver it rested in. </p><p>Pulling out his phone’s camera to make sure he looked back to normal, with no obvious dirt or scrapes on his face, Killua jogged over to the side of the east wing of campus and searched for a way in. It was after his 3rd window that he finally found one unlocked and he shimmied his way in, careful to make sure no one was around to notice. </p><p>Not even a second later the bell for 3rd period sounded and students began to flood out of the classroom doors. <em>Nailed it. </em>He joined the sea of bodies seamlessly, as if he had been here all along, and started on his merry way to the science building. </p><p>Saving 24 people? Great.</p><p>Getting out of Math but coming back right in time to hang out with Gon again? <em>Priceless.</em></p><p>Killua glanced up at the room numbers, a jolt of excitement tingling his nerves when his Biology room came into view. A tall, lanky man with long flowing silver hair and blue cabby hat stood off to the side of the entrance to the room, greeting passing students here and there and smiling whenever one would actually enter the class. </p><p>Huh. Natural white hair? For a second, Killua instinctively checked his own to make sure it was still black, pulling at one of his bangs. He was beginning to understand why the Association recommended this place. </p><p>It was full of interesting people. </p><p>The man, 'Mr. Kite' - Kilua assumed, tipped the rim of his hat as Killua made his way inside. It was only after noticing how packed the class was that Killua regretted sneaking back into campus through the English department. The Science building was on the complete opposite side which had evidently made him close to being late. Well, thankfully Gon said he'd save him a seat so-</p><p>Wait. </p><p>Killua's brows knitted together in confusion. Where was Gon?</p><p>No, he hadn't lost him in the mass of bodies, his new friend was no where to be found. Noticing the questioning stares of his future classmates, he dropped the issue and strolled to one of the few empty spots in the class, setting his book bag down and taking a seat. </p><p>Maybe Gon had read his schedule wrong and got the periods mixed up? He seemed like the type to get over eager and jump to conclusions so he wouldn't be surprised if that were the case but-</p><p>Killua frowned. If he didn't have Gon for Bio then the day just got boring real fast. He'd have to wait until lunch to see him again. Ugh, and if Gon had misread the periods enough to think they had Bio together they probably didn't have Home Ec together either. He slumped over his desk, noiselessly grumbling to himself. Stupid Gon and his stupid mistake and his stupid smile-</p><p>"Mornin' everyone," Mr Kite greeted, surveying the class. "Hope your first day back has been going well. Any stories to share from summer break?"</p><p>Killua blinked. Okay, what the hell. Mr. Wing was a pleasant surprise compared to all his past English teachers and tutors but <em>two </em>chill teachers in one semester? Taking the Associations advice was quickly turning out to be one of the best decisions he had ever made - next to his contract with the same Association of course. Heavens Academy was awesome.</p><p>A student off to the side with a bushy head of greenish hair and a face covered in freckles raised his hand at Kite's question. He went on to talk about visiting the wildlife preserve Mr. Kite had apparently recommended last year to him, prompting Mr. Kite to smile proudly at the boy and ask him if he enjoyed himself to which, of course, Freckles had. A couple of other students took Freckles' lead and mentioned what they did over the summer but Killua tuned them out with a quick yawn. Pleasantries were nice and everything but hearing a bunch of kids talk about trips to Los Diablos in Kalifornia or other normal teenager things weren't his forte, mostly because he couldn't relate. Since the age of 4 he had anything but a normal life with his Mom basically chaining him to his desk both at home or at school to make sure he was ready to take over the family's company by the time he turned 18. He didn't have the luxury of going surfing by the coast or camping with a cool uncle. No, he was <em>'better than that'. </em></p><p>Killua snapped his pencil in two. He looked down at the now useless piece of wood in his fingers. Perfect. '<em>Nice going, Killua'</em></p><p>The boy to his left raised a bushy eyebrow and asked if he was okay, offering him one of his extras. He whispered a 'thank you' sheepishly and accepted the pencil extended his way. Bushy Brows only smiled gently in response and shook his head, saying it was no problem. Killua twirled the pencil absentmindedly between his two fingers before turning his attention to Mr. Kite's conversation with a girl near the front of the class. </p><p>What was he getting so worked up for? That stuff was in the past now. He never had to worry about crap like that ever again. If he kept dwelling on what used to be, his Soul Gem was going to get clouded again in the middle of class. </p><p>"-Yes, I agree, Tohru. In fact, while it's not on the agenda for the semester, I'd love to discuss the ongoing climate change they talked about on the news sometime in the future. Perhaps when we go into different ecosystems and biomes. It's an important topic and one that I feel young minds such as yourselves should learn sooner than later." Mr. Kite explained, chin in hand and a contemplative look on his face. "It's - oh. Wonderful that you could join us, Mr. Freecs."</p><p>Killua let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding in. </p><p>"I'm <em>soooooo </em>sorry, Kite! Oh, um, <em>Mr. </em>Kite," Gon bowed deeply before righting himself and putting on an embarrassed grin. The boy scratched his cheek and gave a small laugh. "I promise I won't be late again, I just had a family emergency and had to take a call from my aunt. I hope I'm not interrupting..."</p><p>Mr. Kite chuckled good-naturedly at him before gesturing to the desks. "Not at all. I hope it wasn't anything too serious," he said, offering Gon to elaborate on the emergency. After Gon assured him that it wasn't, he suggested Gon find an empty seat and they'd be getting started with the class syllabus soon. </p><p>Gon thanked him sweetly before turning to look at the desks, searching for a good spot, and smiled wildly when he locked eyes with Killua. He jogged over, pulling up and plopping himself down happily at the desk in front of Killua's own, conveniently empty. "I guess <em>you're</em> the one saving <em>me </em>the seat instead," he whispered playfully. "I owe you one, Killua."</p><p>All of Killua's previous worries melted away in the glow of Gon's presence, as if the past 10 minutes of anxiety had never happened at all. </p><p>"Don't worry," Killua whispered back, eyes glinting with a promise. "You can get me next time."</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Slightly fun fact: The speech I wrote for Wing is almost word for word what my English teacher back in junior year of high school did our first day of class. He was one of my favorite teachers from back then and I ended up taking him again my senior year with an elective literature class just so I could have the pleasure of learning more from him. If it wasn't for him, I don't think I would have ever worked up the courage to start sharing my writing at all. I still have a ways to go before I ever write as well as him, but I like to think I'm getting there with every new work I create.So this one goes out to you, Mr. Duncan. </p><p>As always, all suggestions for future AUs for me to write, kudos, and comments are welcomed and appreciated.</p><p>See you all Monday!</p>
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<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Somebody I Can Miss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Ah, young love," Leorio laughed loudly, tossing Killua one of the lollipops from the jar on his desk. "Nothing like it in the world."</p><p>"Shut up, old man." Killua viciously tore the wrapper from the candy before plopping it into his mouth. Love? That was pushing it. He just had a little crush, it'd be gone soon enough. Gon was just his first friend his age, of course he liked him. So what if he found him a little attractive too? It wasn't anything major. Just a crush. Nothing more.</p><p>Killua looked back down at his phone, noticing Gon's reply:</p><p>[4:33] 'Yay!!! We can talk about it then! \ ( ^ _ ^ ) / See you Monday!'</p><p>A grin spread over his face - wide enough to apparently warrant another laugh from Leorio. Killua turned away from the man's growing chuckles with a huff, stuffing the phone back into his pocket and away from Leorio's prying eyes, but couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach. </p><p>Okay. So it was a little more than a crush.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Welcome back everyone! </p><p>Sorry this is getting to you a couple days later than I thought it would. I wanted to make some character sketches for Kurapika and Leorio like I did in the previous chapter for Gon and Killua but they took a bit longer than expected, so that's why this chapter is out late. Also, Quick update: I went back and edited some things from the first chapter since I wanted to include a few differences between how Killua and Gon look in the canon of this story compared to the canon of hxh. So, to those of you who read chapter 1 the day it came out, if you ever go back to reread it you might notice a few changes. The changes, in summary, are: </p><p>- I updated the concept art to include how Killua and Gon look like normally, as their secret identity versions, alongside how they look as SilverShock and FistAid respectfully.<br/>- Killua now normally has black hair, not silver. Imagine it the same shade as Alluka's and the rest of his siblings. It's only when he transforms into SilverShock that he has silver/white hair.<br/>- FistAid, Gon's Alter Ego, now has green eyes and hair unlike his normal identity where he has brown eyes and black hair. Gon also has freckles along his nose, but as FistAid he wears a band aid to cover them up.</p><p>And that's basically it! </p><p>Concept art and notes on Kurapika and Leorio's Alter Egos are below the quote. Like before, feel free to skip over these if you'd like. I hope you enjoy reading!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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      <em> <strong> <span class="quote">There are no coincidences in this world. - Kaho Mizuki, Cardcaptor Sakura</span> </strong> </em>
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  <p><strong> <em>'</em> </strong> <em>That's great news! I look forward to your report, SilverShock.'  </em></p>
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  <p>Killua nodded absentmindedly at the voice's comment on the other end of the line. "Sure thing, Chairman," he hung up the phone before hopping down from a pile of rubble and jogging over to rejoin the group. Knightingale and Scarlet Jail both seemed to be busy discussing - or maybe arguing would be a better word for it - how best to restore the state of a storefront that was destroyed during their struggle with the latest Prey threat. Off to their right, FistAid remained oblivious to the two's situation, wrapping up a little girl's arm in one of the many bandages he carried with him. The Hunter placed his hands gently on the now wrapped arm and a warm green glow illuminated from his palm. With a reassuring smile, he then took the bandage back off and asked the girl to try moving it again. The girl's once tear filled eyes now danced with happiness as she lifted and twisted her arm, marveling at its now healed state. Killua just smiled at the interaction fondly.</p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>FistAid sure had a way with civilians. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>Whether his thoughts had been somehow magically conveyed or out of sheer coincidence, FistAid chose that moment to look up at him. Seeing Killua's smile, FistAid gave the girl a small hug before jumping up and making his way to him. "Silver! What'd the Chairman say?" </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>Hearing FistAid's question, Scarlet Jail and Knightingale stopped their harmless bickering and turned to Killua - interested as to the answer themselves. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>"The usual: 'Great job in securing the scene, look after the wounded, and don't forget to submit the report' - yadayadayada," he said, waving his hand flippantly. He pushed his silver bangs out of his face in annoyance. "You'd think he'd realize we know the drill by now and stop asking us to report in." Before Scarlet Jail could even open his mouth, Killua continued. "Yeah yeah, I know it's protocol, I'm just sayin'," he finished with a huff. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>This was his 23rd Prey take-down since moving to Yorknew; it's not like he was an amateur anymore. Not to mention that Scarlet Jail and Knightingale had been on the job for over 4 years now so it wasn't like a bunch of newcomers like he and FistAid were the only ones handling the scene. The Chairman really should have more faith in them. Then again, it <em>was </em>a pretty dangerous case - the rare level 5 - so maybe he was just worried about the civilians. Even the most experienced Hunters had trouble taking down a level 5 without any casualties. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>FistAid clenched a fist. "What did he say about...you know?" he asked. The green-haired Hunter looked solemnly at a man and his son, both crushed under a heap of scrap metal which was once an SUV. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>Killua clicked his tongue, a sour taste filling his mouth. If only they had gotten here sooner, the two would have been alive. Sure, civilian casualties were a known fact of this profession but it didn't make any loss of life comforting. "He said he'd locate their family and inform them. As for us-"</p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>"We should try and pull them out from the wreckage for a proper burial, correct?" Scarlet Jail asked, wrapping his arms around his chest uncomfortably. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>"Yeah," Killua frowned, walking over to their remains. "Give me a hand, Patchy?" </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>FistAid walked over to join him and squatted down to the base of the crash. With his right hand, he almost effortlessly lifted the metal up, revealing the crushed bodies beneath. He grimaced. Killua cradled the boy in his arms and looked as FistAid proceeded to toss the metal to the side. The Hunter then lifted the father's limp body and situated him on his shoulder gently, giving Killua a sad smile. "Let's get them home..."</p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <p>Killua nodded. </p>
</div><div class="post_title large">
  <hr/>
  <p>It wasn't until the sun had set along the skyline of Yorknew's buildings that Killua was finally able to come home. The report from earlier's Prey incident had taken a while to write up - half due to Killua's lack of experience filling out his own report since he was first on scene and half because FistAid kept distracting him with random topics - and had left him exhausted. Once back to the comfort of his and Alluka's apartment, he practically melted into the plush cushions of their couch. Alluka only giggled, flipping the tv from the news - a report about the Prey Killua had taken down along with the others - onto their Netflix account and pulling up Haikyuu. She had been waiting patiently for her brother to come home so they could finally watch the last season. "Long day?" </p>
  <p>"UGH, the worst!" He groaned in frustration before taking in a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. He shoved his hand in front of his sister's face for further dramatics. "Even my Soul Gem couldn't take it; Look at it! It's going to take hours to clear up!"</p>
  <p>Alluka placed her own hands comfortingly around the one in front of her and gave it a gentle pat before trotting over to the kitchen with a purpose. Humming a little melody to herself, she poked around some of the new canisters they had been sent by Canary and pulled out a bag of tea. After a little searching, she then took out her brother's favorite mug and their tea kettle, turning on the stove for the water to boil.</p>
  <p>"Nothing a nice hot cup of tea and popcorn can't fix!" she called out to Killua, now searching the cabinets for their stash of snacks. With a small 'aha', Alluka pulled out the treat and unwrapped the plastic around the bag before popping it into the microwave. "It'll cheer you right up, Big Brother! Oh, also -" she cut herself off, now scurrying back over to Killua and looking over him from the back of the couch, "We never did finish our talk from this morning!"</p>
  <p><em>'Talk?'</em> Killua opened his eyes, giving his sister a questioning look. She shook her head fondly before explaining. "You <em>know,</em>" she said, "about Gon!"</p>
  <p>Killua jumped up with a shock, remembering their conversation from earlier. That's right-</p>
  <p>----</p>
  <p>
    <em>[About 7 hours earlier]</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"I wonder if Gon's Aunt is sick," Killua pondered out loud, taking a bite of his toast. Alluka cocked her head at her brother's comment, silently asking him to go on. He shrugged before continuing his train of thought. "It's weird. One moment everything's fine: we're joking about our Home Ec teacher and her big crush on our Math teacher or about Animal Crossing or something and then the next thing I know he's rushing out the door saying he has a home emergency. I mean, that's not normal, right?" </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Alluka hummed, her chin now cradled in her right hand. "Maybe she's older than you think and needs a lot of help around the house? Who knows, maybe she's his great-aunt but just calls her his Aunt because it's easier?" </em>
  </p>
  <p><em>"Maybe. But then I wonder if she's okay to be home alone? Gon seems like the type of person that'd want to take care of her himself, but even </em>he<em> wouldn't try to do that AND go to high school. He'd get her help when he's away, you know?" Killua finished off his orange juice before picking up his and Alluka's now empty breakfast plates. Making his way to the sink, Killua felt his stomach knot with worry for his friend. "Or at least, I hope he'd ask for help. It'd suck if he was doing this all alone..."</em></p>
  <p>
    <em>"I think he would." Alluka remained at the table, looking at her brother's tense back. No matter what he said, Alluka was very aware of how much Killua really worried for those he cared about. He'd swear up and down that he wasn't interested in other's business, that they could do whatever they wanted, but at the end of the day it was obvious that he meant just the opposite. Her brother couldn't be more invested in other people's happiness if he tried. If anyone needed proof, they could look no further than what he sacrificed to give Alluka herself a better life. "Why not just ask him?"</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Killua scoffed at that. "Oh yeah, let me just ask someone I've known for all of 2 months about his life story."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"I don't think Gon would mind! Especially if he knew how worried you were!" Alluka replied reassuringly.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Worried? I'm not worried!" Killua stuttered, turning to her with pink cheeks. "It's just weird!"</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Uh-huh," Alluka deadpanned. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>He narrowed his eyes at her tone. "I'm. Not." </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Alright, you're not worried. But honestly, Gon would definitely tell you if you just asked-" Alluka started before hearing a beeping go off.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>From Killua's bedroom, the Prey alert on his phone sounded a warning cry. Killua dropped their plates into the soapy sink water and quickly ran to grab it - checking the messages.</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>'Level 5 in Harlem Hotel district!!! Is anyone available? Please respond!!! I'm on my way from Times Triangle but need hlep! Help* - FistAid.'</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>'Team Scarlet-Knight responding. On our way. Unisong, ShadowWalker, Queen of Diamonds , and Archer are unavailable. Requesting backup from all available Hunters. Hold tight, FistAid'</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Killua's eyes widened. A level 5?! That meant there was a group of large Prey, a group big enough to destroy the city. Not only that, but it was in Harlem. He probably was the closest one to the scene since it was only about 5 minutes away. While it was good news for him - he wouldn't have to use up too much of his power getting to the scene - if it got any closer Alluka would be in danger. No way. That wasn't going to happen. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>He furiously typed his response, confirming he was close and was leaving immediate, and shouted to Alluka. "I got to go - It's a bad one! Might not be home until late, sis. Order us in some Chinese or something?" Killua tossed his phone onto his bed before tapping his Soul Gem 3 times. He whispered to the ring, lips hovering over its opulent surface. "In the name of HAPPINESS, I ask of thee, grant me the powers to strike swift as a storm. My name is SilverShock." At his words, the gem grew bright glowing a breathtaking blue and covered the room in light. </em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Sure. Do you want eggrolls or dumplings-" Alluka entered the room and gasped, watching as Killua's appearance changed before her very eyes. Where her brother's hair once matched her own, the locks now shown a bright silver and his eyes became an even brighter blue. His slippers were now a pair of white tennis with a blue lightning bolt emblem on the side while even his pajamas were replaced with a pair of blue pants and purple turtleneck, as well as a white jacket on top with a light blue streak down the arms. Lastly, his hair was pulled into a ponytail adorned with a hair-clip resembling the same emblem on his shoes, with a tiny blue gem placed in the middle. She beamed at his transformation. "That never gets old."</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>Killua smirked playfully at his sister's comment before ruffling her hair - dashing to the front door. "Dumplings! And don't forget the fortune cookies this time!"</em>
  </p>
  <p>
    <em>----</em>
  </p>
  <p>He had been so worn out from the Prey and writing their report right after that he completely forgot. Recalling his sister's earlier insistence to probe Gon about his personal life, Killua grunted. She was right. Gon wouldn't mind telling Killua about his home life in the slightest. If anything, it was almost kind of a miracle Killua didn't know <em>more</em> with how often Gon talked about his Aunt and Great-grandma and about where they used to live before moving to Yorknew when he was in elementary. He had learned so much about him in so little time and yet....</p>
  <p>He couldn't even ask him if his Aunt was sick? </p>
  <p>Killua sighed. "Okay, you win." He ignored Alluka's cocky smile and clicked the play button, starting up the show from where they had left off yesterday. "I'll ask him on Monday." Monday was good. Monday was safe. It still gave him another day to think about how he'd go about starting the conversation. </p>
  <p>Alluka wrapped her arms around his neck from behind the couch - giving him a small, but loving hug. "Good! And if she <em>is </em>sick, I can make her some homemade soup!"</p>
  <p>"You mean <em>I'll </em>make her some homemade soup and you'll watch," Killua teased her, reminding his sister about her lack of overall cooking ability. </p>
  <p>"Same difference!" she said, tightening her hold. She laughed but relented when Killua started faking that he was choking - moving back into the kitchen to pour his tea and make them a bowl of popcorn. She sprinkled some salt onto the now popped kernels and plopped down on the couch next to her brother, offering him a handful to which he accepted. Alluka crunched on a few herself, turning her attention to the episode playing. Her work here was done: Killua was going to talk to Gon and stop worrying. </p>
  <p>Out of the corner of her eye, Alluka watched as her brother's Soul Gem changed from a murky black to its normally light blue color.</p>
  <p>She smiled.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>Killua propelled himself forward, dashing off the side of Dump Tower with a kick and flip. His eyes flicked back and forth in an instant, trying to take stock of his surroundings as well as what his next plan of action should be - blurs of windows and falling rubble obscuring his vision. Everything was happening too fast. He couldn't keep up.</p>
  <p>"Watch out!" a voice called from a distance. Killua couldn't place how far away it was but he recognized the owner immediately: FistAid. Using the Hunter's words as an anchor he focused all his powers into his head, trying to will his neurons to work faster than normal and devise a plan. He needed to think of something quick or-</p>
  <p>A claw from the cat-like Prey appeared almost as if from nowhere causing Killua to narrowly dodge once again. He kicked off yet another building but this time his landing hadn't been so smooth; a pain shot up his leg and the sound of a crack entered his ears. He grimaced but powered through nonetheless, taking out his silver yoyo and wrapping it around the forearm of the Prey. Before his foe could react, Killua sent a powerful jolt of electricity through the string, giving his powers a direct line to its body. The Prey screamed out in anguish, a yowl piercing Killua's, and probably any civilian nearby's, eardrums. In a second, the Prey grew smaller - its once gigantic and black body now a small kitten. He flashed a wild grin. <em>'Yes!'  </em>He had done it! Now all that was left was to purify it.</p>
  <p>Killua maneuvered his still falling body into an upright position and tapped on his Soul Gem before repeating the usual incantation. "In the name of HAPPINESS I vanquish you!" A blue light originating from his Soul Gem traveled to the body of the now tiny Prey in a blink, purifying its soul. The corrupt energy and emotions disappeared revealing a rather plain looking girl in its place, unconscious and harmless. Killua relaxed his body at the sight before remembering his current state - still falling to the ground at an alarming rate. <em>Crap.</em> He was so worried trying to think about taking down the Prey that he forgot about this part. He braced himself, shutting his eyes, for the no doubt painful crash that was about to happen. </p>
  <p>Except it didn't. </p>
  <p>Instead, Killua felt a pair of warm and secure palms wrap around his waist and underneath his knees - his prior upright position now sideways. Surprised, he opened his eyes on instinct and found a pair of deep emerald ones looking back. Almost gracefully, his savior landed and gave Killua a reassuring smile. "That was amazing, Silver! You handled that Prey before I could even get here!" FistAid gently released his hold on his fellow Hunter but quickly replaced his hand back onto the other's waist when he noticed Killua sway. "What's wrong?!" FistAid asked frantically, "Here, lean up against me."</p>
  <p>Killua did as he was told, shifting his weight off of his ankle. FistAid helped guide him to a nearby space of sturdy debris before helping him sit and get off of his injured foot. "I think I broke it," Killua hissed, removing his sneaker. The skin beneath was already inflamed, sporting a bright red color and swelling. <em>'Great job,'  </em>his brain added sarcastically.</p>
  <p>FistAid swiftly removed a bandage from his arm and crouched to kneel in front of him. He looked up at Killua, a question in his eyes if it was alright to continue. Killua nodded, lifting his ankle up slightly so that the Hunter could wrap the cloth around the injury. Carefully, FistAid wrapped the ankle and tied a knot, touch as light as a feather to minimize his ally's discomfort. He hovered his palm over the dressing, whispering an incantation to himself that Killua had trouble making out. A familiar green glow emanated from his hand, enveloping Killua's ankle in a warm and welcoming aura. Where there was once a piercing pain he now only felt a dull throbbing - FistAid's powers working their magic. He let out a sigh of relief. </p>
  <p>When Killua had first seen the Prey transform, he naively assumed he'd be able to take care of it himself. It seemed to only be a Level 1, a Level 2 at most, so he'd finish it off as fast as it came and be on his merry way to Leorio's with Alluka. He sent his sister to take cover behind a car while he hid behind a tree and transformed. It wasn't until the Prey almost took out a couple nearby that Killua realized his mistake and threw his phone to her - telling her to send out a message for help with a potential Level 3. He figured he could hold it off until backup arrived and maybe even weaken it enough for purification. While he ended up doing just that, even purifying it himself, it wasn't soon enough judging by the damage around them and his injury. Thankfully, FistAid was the one who responded; he was perfect for this sort of thing. </p>
  <p>"There. It's not possible to fix a bone all the way, so you're going to have to stay off of it for about a week, but it's definitely a lot better if you ask me!" FistAid unwrapped Killua's ankle before tying the cloth back around his own arm. He stood back up and surveyed the location. Sidewalks were banged up and a few cars looked downright destroyed. Lamposts and random trees were torn from the ground or bent in two while a majority of the buildings showed deep claw marks in their sides. FistAid let out an almost impressed breath. On the bright side, there seemed to not be a single injured person besides Killua himself. "Wow. That Prey must have been tough..."</p>
  <p>"Oh no, she was a peach," Killua replied sarcastically. He dusted off his pants and stood up, careful to avoid putting any pressure on his ankle. His Soul Gem sent a warning pulse of energy through his body, reminding him that his transformation was almost up. Ugh, right: he had used up almost all his power. "I know it's kinda crappy of me but do you think you can handle the clean up? I'm out of juice and might change back any second now."</p>
  <p>FistAid nodded, confidently placing a hand on his bicep. "Leave it to me; I'm just glad you're safe! You'll fill out the report though, right?"</p>
  <p>"Yeah, of course. Thanks again for the help. Catch ya later!" Killua said, slowly but surely making his way to a nearby alley. Just in time as well - his transformation wearing off not a second later. He ran a hand through his hair, seeing the strands their usual black color. <em>Phew.</em> That was close.</p>
  <p>"Brother!" Alluka called out, running over to the alley. She rushed into his arms, hugging him forcefully. "You scared me! Don't ever try and take on a bad guy by yourself again, okay?" </p>
  <p>Killua eyes softened. He placed a hand onto her head, patting her. "I'm sorry, sis. Didn't mean to worry you."</p>
  <p>She pulled away and looked up at him, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to be threatening. The effect was lessened due to her red cheeks and adorable pout, but Killua had to give her points for trying. "Promise."</p>
  <p>"I <em>promise </em>I won't do it again." Killua felt the adrenaline from the battle leave his body, his muscles begging for rest. He slid against the side of the alley's brick wall before practically collapsing onto the cold cement. At his sister's worried expression, he held up a hand in reassurance. "I'm fine, just tired. Taking on a 60 foot cat wears you out."</p>
  <p>Before Alluka could protest, saying her brother was <em>not </em>'fine', a voice interrupted them from outside the alley's entrance. "Excuse me, is everything okay-" Killua jumped up at the question, realizing who the owner was, before thinking, placing his weight on his bad ankle. Before he could fall forward, warm hands wrapped around his arms and his face fell into the crook of the owner's neck. "Whoa! Are you alright?!"</p>
  <p>Killua wracked his brain for an excuse. "Yeah, just twisted my foot trying to cover my sister when that monster attacked. Thank you for taking care of it, Hunter FistAid."</p>
  <p>"Ki-," FistAid squeaked before coughing.</p>
  <p>Killlua knit his eyebrows.<em> 'Ki?'  </em></p>
  <p>"I- I mean. <em>Can </em>I help? Let me see your foot," FistAid said, face flushed. He began to remove the bandage around his arm prompting Killua's mind to replay the same scene from earlier before waving the Hunter to stop. </p>
  <p>"It's fine. It doesn't hurt that bad and we were actually on our way to the doctor's before this whole-" Killua gestured to the wreckage outside of the alley, "<em>thing </em>happened. Don't Hunter's powers take up a lot of energy? I think it'd be best if you helped out someone else who needs it more."</p>
  <p>"You must know a lot about Hunters," FistAid said with a smile. </p>
  <p>"My brother is actually a big fan of yours," Alluka pipped up, moving over to FistAid and sticking out her hand. "Me too, by the way! I'm Alluka!" </p>
  <p>FistAid laughed before shaking her hand enthusiastically. "It's great to meet you, Alluka. And you?" He turned to Killua, extending his handshake. </p>
  <p>"Killua," he replied, responding to his handshake in kind. </p>
  <p>"Well then, Killua - I can't just leave you like this. If you won't let me heal it, can I at least take you to the doctor's?" he said, already moving to carry Killua.</p>
  <p>"Wha- no that's really noT-" Killua protested before cutting himself off, his mouth closing shut with a click. He felt blood pool in his cheek at this new development. Sure, FistAid had caught him the same way not 5 minutes ago but that was in the middle of battle. Here there was nothing else to focus on but the Hunter's own strong arms and gentle smile. </p>
  <p>He was going to explode. </p>
  <p>"Thank you, Mr. FistAid, sir!" Alluka giggled. Killua scowled at her. <em>'Traitor'</em></p>
  <p>"Of course! So, which way to the doctor's office?" he asked, looking down at the boy in his arms.</p>
  <p>This was it. This was how he was going to die. Not taking down some Level 5 Prey or saving a civilian - not a noble death. Nope. He was going to die stupidly and lamely, choking on his own spit and suffering a heart attack in the arms of a coworker he had only just now started to grow closer to over the past months. Typical. Killua covered his eyes with his arm, resigning himself to his fate and mumbling out the directions.</p>
  <p>"...Apartment 403, Tompkins Ave. Brooklyn."</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Leorio asked cockily, leaning against the frame of his apartment.</p>
  <p>Alluka smiled up at him before greeting the man with a hug and making her way into the room. She skipped over to her usual seat, a pink loveseat situated among the rest of the comfy but cheap looking furniture that decorated Leorio's living room. </p>
  <p>"Can it, old man," Killua leered at him, still in FistAid's arms. Once released, he turned towards the Hunter, color returning to his face as quickly as it had left. "Um, thanks."</p>
  <p>"It was my pleasure! I hope your foot gets better soon, Killua! Well then, I'm off!" FistAid waved his goodbye before also turning and asking Alluka to keep an eye on her brother for him. When he had finally left, Killua sighed in relief, glad to be able to relax for the first time in the past half hour.</p>
  <p>While the whole incident had been embarrassing, the good news was that FistAid seemed to have taken his and Alluka's excuse for his injured foot at face value. As SilverShock, he often teased the Hunter about his overly trusting nature, always believing someone's words to be true, but in this case it was a blessing. It meant FistAid thought Killua was just another civilian in the wrong place at the wrong time and got himself hurt. More importantly, FistAid had no idea he was SilverShock and his cover was still intact. </p>
  <p>"You know, when I said you guys should stop by for a check up, I wasn't talking about <em>you, </em>kid," Leorio said, grabbing a pillow for Killua to elevate his foot with. He propped the boy's foot up before moving to the kitchen to grab some ice. "Mind filling me in on how you managed that, by the way?"</p>
  <p>"Long story. By the way, where were you? I sent out an SOS and everything," Killua asked, raising an eyebrow.</p>
  <p>"I already used up all of my powers earlier this morning with Scarlet. There were a pack of Level 4s in the Upper East Side - apparently there had been a school shooting and it triggered a wave of corruption in a few of the kids trapped in the building. I'm surprised you didn't catch it on the news," he said, walking back to the living room with the ice pack and placing it on Killua's ankle. "So, I wouldn't have been much help. You know my healing abilities aren't like FistAid's - they're almost ten times more powerful but use up just as much power. An old man like me doesn't have the stamina like you kids."</p>
  <p>"You're not even that old, Mr. Paladinknight," Alluka sang out sweetly. "Killua only means it as a joke, you know!"</p>
  <p>Leorio huffed out a laugh and patted the girl on her head, assuring her that he knew as much and that he was only joking back. He turned back to her brother, taking off his glasses and looking over his ankle. "Serious mode now, Killua. Spill."</p>
  <p>Killua glanced to the side, unable to make eye contact with the man. It's not like he had gotten hurt on purpose or anything, but it still made him feel ashamed to show up on Leorio's door step in this condition. "I had it covered."</p>
  <p>"Until you didn't, I see," Leorio answered back, plopping beside him. </p>
  <p>"Things got...out of hand," Killua said, choosing his words carefully. "But everything turned out fine. No one but me got hurt and FistAid showed up at the end to patch me up and take care of the aftermath."</p>
  <p>"Did he-?" Leorio asked, not finishing his question in liue of Killua's immediate response, cutting him off.</p>
  <p>"No. He didn't see me transform. He backed me up as SilverShock and then I rushed out saying I was out of power. He only stumbled across me and Alluka after, thinking we were just some civilians caught in the crossfire. He doesn't know," Killua explained. </p>
  <p>"That's good at least," Leorio pat him gently on the leg. "I know you're a pretty private kid. Last thing you'd probably want is another Hunter finding out your secret identity."</p>
  <p>Leorio recalled the day he first met Killua, a year before the siblings had moved to Yorknew, back when he and Scarlet Jail were in Connecticut on Hunter business. What was supposed to be a short assistance call on teaching a group of amateur Hunters turned into a Level 5 Prey incident, exposing many new Hunter's true identities to the public resulting in the relocation of the members to a new place and a memory wipe of all civilians involved. What couldn't be erased, however, were the memories of all Hunters present. Because of this, Leorio had witnessed the his trainee Hunter SilverShock turn into a witty kid with jet black hair and foul mouth before his very eyes, fueling a small fire of paternal instinct deep inside him to also share his secret identity in solidarity. It was this tiny moment together that paved the way for the kid to worm his way into Leorio's life and led to him offering Killua and his sister to relocate to his hometown of Yorknew. </p>
  <p>He had never been more thankful for a Hunter business retreat in all his life.</p>
  <p>Leorio turned his attention towards Alluka. She <em>was </em>the one he was originally supposed to be seeing today. "How are you feeling today, Princess?"</p>
  <p>She smiled at Leorio's nickname for her. "I feel great!"</p>
  <p>"Getting enough sleep? No headaches?" he asked, listing off the usual problems.</p>
  <p>"Yep to both. I think that new medicine you gave me is doing the trick," she replied, taking out her medication bag. </p>
  <p>"Glad to hear it," he answered genuinely, moving to his medicine lock box. He punched in the code and removed a container labeled 'Alluka Zoldyck' before shutting it again with a click. "Let's have a looksee and give you the rest of the month's prescription then, shall we?" </p>
  <p>Killua nodded in approval, signing the notice that Leorio handed him. They had already gone over the side affects during their last visit, so it wasn't a problem. Killua had been keeping close eye on her, making sure the seizures hadn't started again or, worse, that she was having an allergic reaction to the new treatment. He didn't want to jinx it or anything, but it seemed that this medicine combo was the one. And even if it wasn't, Leorio was here to help them keep trying no matter how long it took. He'd never say it to the old man's face, but there was no one else in the world he trusted more than the doctor in front of him. As Killua finished writing his signature, Alluka jumped up out of her seat with a quick 'oh!' Killua asked her what was wrong as he handed the papers back to Leorio.</p>
  <p>"You're phone," she said, taking out said item from her pocket. "I never gave it back to you and it's ringing!" Alluka walked over to where her brother was seated, handing it over to him and peering to the screen. "Who is it?"</p>
  <p>Killua glanced down at the caller I.D., a photo of Gon's smiling face greeting him and the words 'Mr. Sunshine' alerting him of the caller. He showed the screen to his sister before picking up with a smirk and placing the boy on speaker. "Hi, you've reached the phone of Killua Zoldyck. I'm not here right now-" he held up his hand to silence Leorio, noticing the man's disgruntled face, obviously ready to chime in his disapproval, "but if you could leave your name and number-"</p>
  <p><em>"KILLUAAAAA," </em>Gon's voice whined loudly, causing Killua to lower the volume. <em>"I know it's you. You're answering machine starts with 'This is Killua'! Stop being mean!"</em></p>
  <p>"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. What's up, Gon?" Killua laughed, looking at his sister who also giggled at Gon's theatrics. </p>
  <p><em>"I saw you and Alluka on the news - there was a monster attack? Are you guys okay?" </em>Gon's voice rung out from the other side of the line, worry evident in his tone.</p>
  <p>A smile worked its way onto Killua's lips and his eyes softened. Of <em>course </em>Gon would call him just to check if he was okay. "We're fine. We just got a few bruises here and there. No biggie."</p>
  <p><em>"But then why was FistAid carrying you like that?" </em>Gon huffed out accusingly. </p>
  <p>Killua paused at that. If he didn't know any better he'd almost say Gon was-</p>
  <p>"Why, are you jealous?" he asked, half-serious. </p>
  <p>Without skipping a beat, Gon's voice answered. "Yes."</p>
  <p>Killua sputtered, instantly taking Gon off speaker and 'shh'ing his sister who was now full-on laughing before hissing into the phone. "What the hell, Gon?!"</p>
  <p><em>"It's not fair; I want to be carried by a cool Hunter too! Why is it always Killua that's the lucky one?" </em>Gon asked, his tone filled with genuine envy. </p>
  <p>Like a brick had fallen out of no where and landed on his head, Killua's forehead face planted into the palm of his hand. Duh. Of course <em>t</em><em>hat's</em> why Gon was jealous - what was he thinking? As if Gon would be jealous about carrying Killua himself. Thinking about it for more than just a second, it was obvious. Despite that, Killua couldn't deny a small part of himself wistfully had hoped Gon had been. God, he was pathetic.</p>
  <p>Recovering from his previous misunderstanding, Killua responded to Gon's comment with an alternative of his own. "Who knows, maybe you'll get caught in a monster attack too and SilverShock will swoop out of nowhere and carry you off into the sunset," he laughed, ignoring Leorio's raised eyebrow. Mentally, Killua made note that if there was ever a Prey attack when he and Gon were in the area, he'd make damn sure he'd whisk the boy away and leave the Prey for another Hunter. He could practically imagine the look on Gon's face - being carried away by his favorite Hunter.</p>
  <p>It made his heart stutter.</p>
  <p><em>"If that ever happened, I think I would pass out in his arms though," </em>Gon answered back almost shyly. </p>
  <p>Killua blushed at his words but quickly changed the subject. Right, back to the topic from before. "But yeah, anyway. It wasn't that big of a deal; I just hurt my ankle a little. FistAid offered to help me to the doctors' and that's what you saw."</p>
  <p><em>"Was he nice?" </em>Gon asked. </p>
  <p>"Yeah. I mean, he seemed nice. We, uh, didn't really talk too much. He mostly talked with Alluka the way over here, to be honest," he said, remembering most of his conversations with the Hunter had been short due to his embarrassment at being carried. </p>
  <p>Gon hummed at that. <em>"But you liked him? I know he's one of your favorite Hunters, so it must have been cool getting to finally meet him and everything."</em></p>
  <p>Killua leaned back into the couch, his voice turning soft in volume as he thought about his fellow Hunter. Of course he liked FistAid. Working with him was always fun and he could always count on him to have his back - just like today. He couldn't exactly say that to Gon though, so he altered a few details to still get his point across. "Yeah, it was. He's pretty reliable and just has this..." he searched for the words, "air to him. You know, like: 'as long as he's here, I don't have to worry about anything'. That sort of thing. Know what I mean?"</p>
  <p>The call went silent for a second, causing Killua to second guess himself. Was that too in depth of an answer for someone he was supposed to have only known for a few minutes? Sure, Gon probably wouldn't realize that he knew FistAid more than that because they worked together, but still. Not soon enough for Killua's heart, Gon answered softly from the other end of the line. "Yeah, I get what you mean. FistAid... must be pretty amazing if Killua is complimenting him."</p>
  <p>Killua knit his eyebrows in confusion. Gon almost sounded like he was hurt by Killua's words. That was weird. Didn't he like FistAid too? He had gotten so happy when Killua said he liked FistAid, way back when they first met at that store, so why was he upset hearing how trustworthy he was? Maybe he thought Killua was saying FistAid was cooler than SilverShock and that's why he was disappointed? "I mean," Killua started, "SilverShock is probably like that too. And anyway, I only met the guy. Who knows, maybe he was just acting cool in front of me and Alluka to make us relax and stuff. Hunter's are supposed to do that sort of thing, right?"</p>
  <p>At that, Gon laughed. "You're probably right, Killua! I have no doubt that SilverShock is just as cool!" Killua breathed a sigh of relief. Good, that must have been it. Now Gon was back to his normal cheerful self. </p>
  <p>"Anyway, I'll let you go. Alluka and I are perfectly fine so don't worry, okay?" he said, giving his sister a wink. She nodded back, shouting into the phone that her brother was right. Gon accepted the siblings' words and reminded Killua to answer his texts from earlier. Killua replied that he would before hanging up, a fond smile still on his face. His friend was something else.</p>
  <p>He was about to continue on as if the whole phone call hadn't occurred until he saw an absolutely pleased smirk on Leorio's face. Killua blanched. "What."</p>
  <p>"Oh nothing, just thinking about how cute you and your boyfriend are." His smirk grew wider when Killua's face turned a lovely pink shade. </p>
  <p>"He's NOT my boyfriend," Killua yelled in defiance, his eyebrow twitching. "He's just a friend!"</p>
  <p>"Yeah, I always flirt and ask my friends if they're jealous at being carried by someone other than them too," he cackled, avoiding a pillow being thrown at him from the boy. </p>
  <p>"Whatever!" Killua tossed another pillow before crossing his arms in a huff. "Look, he's my best friend, okay? And. And I-" he mumbled the next part, "I really like him. So what?"</p>
  <p>Leorio stopped laughing and gave Killua a genuine and understanding smile. "I get it. I've been there."</p>
  <p>Killua looked up from his arms at Leorio's comment. "You?"</p>
  <p>The man nodded, sagely. "Yep. Still AM there, actually. There's this really cute blonde who works in the bookshop down on the corner and I've had a thing for him for almost a year. I see him almost every day and we even flirt a little but I just can't work up the nerve to ask him out. And it's fine, since I think he likes where we are too, but I still gotta admit I want more than that, you know?"</p>
  <p>Before he could interject, stating that his situation was completely different and he really liked just being friends, Killua's phone dinged. He looked down and saw that he had 12 missed texts from Gon.<em> 'Speak of the devil' </em>a taunting voice ringed in his head.</p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:04] 'Of course! You can ask me anything, Killua!'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:04] 'Why in person though Is it something bad?' (・・ ) ? Did something happen?</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:04] 'You're not moving again, are you? Because you can't, you just got here!'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:05] 'I mean it! You better not be asking me what I want as a goodbye sprent because I don't want anything but for you and alluka to stay here in yornew</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">'[3:05] *present'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:05] 'Yorknew*'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:05] 'Killua????!!!!!'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:05] 'Answer me!!!'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:05] 'I'm not going to stop until you answer, you know.'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:06] 'Okay, that's not true.'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p><strong> <span class="u">[3:06] 'I'll stop because I don't want to bother you since you are obviously busy and that's why you aren't answering but still.'</span> </strong> <span class="u"></span></p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[3:41] 'Killua please answer me as soon as you check your phone, I'm worried now :(((((('</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p><em>'Oh my god.' </em>Killua only huffed in amusement at the boy's texts before responding.</p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>[4:32] 'Its nothing bad you moron and no we arent moving'</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>[4:32] 'its just a personal quesiton and i dont want to do it over the phone'</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>[4:32] 'also you dont have to correct your typos unless i ask because i usually know what you meant'</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>[4:32] 'ill ask you in english'</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>Killua put his phone back down. "He's ridiculous," he said to Leorio with a roll of his eyes. The man got up from his seat beside Killua and made his way over to his work desk. </p>
  <p>"Ah, young love," Leorio laughed loudly, tossing Killua one of the lollipops from the jar on his desk. "Nothing like it in the world."</p>
  <p>"Shut up, old man." Killua viciously tore the wrapper from the candy before plopping it into his mouth. Love? That was pushing it. He just had a little crush, it'd be gone soon enough. Gon was just his first friend his age, of course he liked him. So what if he found him a little attractive too? It wasn't anything major. Just a crush. Nothing more.</p>
  <p>Killua looked back down at his phone, noticing Gon's reply:</p>
  <p>
    <strong> <span class="u">[4:33] 'Yay!!! We can talk about it then! \ ( ^ _ ^ ) / See you Monday!'</span> </strong>
  </p>
  <p>A grin spread over his face - wide enough to apparently warrant another laugh from Leorio. Killua turned away from the man's growing chuckles with a huff, stuffing the phone back into his pocket and away from Leorio's prying eyes, but couldn't stop the butterflies in his stomach. </p>
  <p>Okay. So it was a little more than a crush.</p>
  <hr/>
  <p>Before he knew it, another month went by and Killua's 'more than a crush' had slowly turned into 'oh god it's way more than a crush'. Ever since Killua had asked Gon about his Aunt Mito, who it turns out was <em>not </em>sick, it was like a dam had broken. Now he and Gon shared everything. Well... almost everything. He still wasn't keen on telling him about his other life as SilverShock, but baby steps, right? The only downside to being so close was his not so little crush. Because, you see, it turned out that every moment they were together, Killua felt himself gravitate even closer to Gon side.</p>
  <p>He was quite proud of his usual aloof nature before meeting Gon, even calling it one of his defining features. There was a time not so long ago that he'd go days without texting someone or straight up not talking to anyone but his sister, leading to people wanting to know more about him and viewing him with an air of mystery. But now? He texted Gon at least 30 times a day even when they saw each other at school and sometimes even more over the weekend. Said weekends were also spent together - he and Gon meeting up often even before the sun rose and not parting ways until late into the evening when the sun would set. To say he had grown attached to his best friend would be an understatement.</p>
  <p>The only thing that would put a halt on their plans would be Gon having to run an errand or to check on his aunt sometimes, causing him to leave early, or a Killua having to take off when a Prey Alert sounded. Gon, of course, didn't know that's why Killua had to go. He always lied and said it was a call from their family doctor about Alluka's check up or a long distance call from his friend Canary that he couldn't miss, which had thankfully been enough for Gon's curious nature.</p>
  <p>Still though, there was only so many times a week Killua could lie and say Leorio was calling before Gon would get suspicious. Like today for instance.</p>
  <p>"The giant's pocket for sure," Killua said, plucking a blade of grass from the ground and twirling it in his fingers. "You're with me, right Alluka?"</p>
  <p>Alluka wove the daisy crown into Gon's spiky hair, smiling down at the boy when he thanked her. "Hmmmm, I don't know.... I think I might go with the swimming."</p>
  <p>Her brother squawked in protest. "What?! That's WAY worse. At least with the giant you know what you are smelling but with sewage? You're swimming in crap. Actual real crap."</p>
  <p>"Yeah, but you only have to swim in the lake for a while. You have to stay in the giant's pocket for a whole day!" Gon answered back, nodding his agreement with Alluka's answer. "Told you that was the better option!"</p>
  <p>"I mean, you're wrong, but okay," Killua quipped, letting the blade of grass blow away in the wind now. "How about you, Ikalgo?"</p>
  <p>Ikalgo struggled to bend the stems in a neat twist and tossed the strange ball of wildflowers into the ground angrily. "It's too hard! How do you do it, Alluka?" </p>
  <p>Killua looked down at the abomination, the flowers now almost rid of every petal and their stems bent awfully everywhere. "I'm starting to get why you've been so quiet now."</p>
  <p>Gon and Alluka broke out in laughter. Ikalgo just fell backwards onto the grass in defeat. "What was the question again?"</p>
  <p>"Would you rather live in the pocket of a sweaty giant for one day or go swimming in a lake filled with sewage for an hour?" Gon repeated, picking up Ikalgo's awful wreck of a flower crown and bending the flowers back to their former glory. </p>
  <p>"Swimming definitely. Even in sewage swimming is still fun," Ikalgo replied with no hesitation. </p>
  <p>"You guys are nuts. Sweat is no big deal but crap-" Killua started his speech again before feeling the ever tell-tale sign of a Prey alert buzz in his pocket, a chime singing for further attention<em>. 'Really? Now?'</em> He looked at the screen, choking when he read the message. What?!!!</p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>Don't mean to alarm anyone but I got a Level 4 near Heavans Academy and I know you two are pretty close by. Really could use some backup ASAP - Knightingale</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>
    <span class="u"> <strong>On my way. Awaiting your response, SilverShock. Also, stop sending SOSs so nonchalantly, Knight. It's concerning. - Scarlet</strong> </span>
  </p>
  <p>Killua reread the message again, jumping onto his feet when he confirmed that he did, in fact, read it correct. There was a Level 4?! <em>Here?!!!</em> </p>
  <p>"What's wrong, Killua?" Gon asked, standing up to look at Killua's messages in hopes to understand what had freaked his friend out so much. Killua quickly shoved the phone into his pocket before Gon could get close enough. As if by some stroke of a miracle, Alluka read the situation immediately and covered for him, giving Gon a well-rehearsed excuse.</p>
  <p>"That's Dr. Paladinknight's ringtone! Is my prescription ready?" Alluka asked, also standing up and looking to her brother with such skillful sparkles in her eye that anyone but Killua would think they were real. </p>
  <p>"Yeah, exactly. I'm sorry guys, I'll be back soon! Tell Mrs. Palm I'm going to be late for Home Ec, okay Gon?" Killua said, taking off from the courtyard. </p>
  <p>"What? But we're making scones today! Aw, fine! Hurry back soon though!" Gon shouted back to his friend's retreating figure. </p>
  <p>"I will!" Killua ran outside the school gates, hiding behind one of the many rose bushes he had been using for his transformations for months now. This was far enough for sure. He quickly tapped on his ring, reciting his incantation and transforming into SilverShock. With his powers carrying his legs in purposeful strides, Killua sped off to the west side of campus near the nurses office. If Leorio was the one sending the SOS, the Prey must have been visible from his office window. Without a doubt, a shadow of Prey grew closer as he neared. </p>
  <p>It was absurdly huge for a Level 4. They'd have to make quick work of this one before it reached the school walls.</p>
  <p>"Over here, kid!" Leorio, now Knightingale called out to him, standing alongside Scarlet Jail. He beckoned Killua to join them, grinning when Killua appeared beside them in a flash. "Took you long enough."</p>
  <p>"Sorry, was with my friends. Had to come up with an excuse. Any ideas on how to beat this guy?" Killua asked, sizing up the Prey.</p>
  <p>"I was just telling Knight that my chains would probably work wonders holding it down, but I'd need a distraction and someone to make sure the Prey doesn't get too close to the school. What do you think?" Scarlet Jail asked, summoning his signature chain weapons.</p>
  <p>Killua grinned confidently, stretching his legs with a few lunges. "You know I'm always up for distractions. You got the defense covered, Feather Boy?" </p>
  <p>"I thought I said to drop the nicknames!" Knightingale grumbled at him loudly, watching Killua zoom off in a flash of blue light towards the Prey. "And damn right I do! Leave it to me!" He pulled out his cutlass sword, drawing a line in the sand almost a mile wide with one swish of his wrist. A yellow glow poured out from the line into the air creating a translucent wall that reached into the clouds. "I'd like to see a Prey get through one of <em>my </em>barriers!" He turned to give Scarlet Jail and smile. "You're up, Partner."</p>
  <p>Scarlet Jail nodded, whispering an incantation to his chains, their interlocked metal rings growing bigger and multiplying before slithering to underneath the large Prey before them. While Scarlet Jail's weapons were powerful and unbreakable, they took a lot of time to set up and actually wrap around a Prey of this size. It was obvious now why he needed SilverShock to draw the Prey's attention from them.</p>
  <p>Killua jumped around the Prey in a frenzy, dashing from one nearby tree to another and keeping the Prey as still as possible. Moving around this much took a lot of energy, but it'd be worth it if everything went smoothly and Scarlet Jail could secure the beast with ease. Killua felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck before being left behind as he pounced to the next location, zapping the Prey with a small jolt of electricity to regain its attention to him. <em>'Just a little bit more...'</em></p>
  <p>Almost as if mocking him, the Prey locked eyes with his. Before Killua could react, the Prey swung his arm at the Hunter, flinging him towards the walls of the school like he was nothing more than an annoying insect buzzing around him.</p>
  <p>"Kid!" Knightingale called out, unable to stop the boy from colliding into his barrier before sliding down to the ground limply. He growled at the Prey before running over to Killua and crouching beside him, cutting into the air the word 'Heal' with the tip of his sword. "Hang on, I got you." </p>
  <p>A wave of energy coursed through Killua's body, giving him enough strength to sit back up before coughing up dry air in his lungs from his collision. He choked out a his thanks before standing up, cracking his knuckles with a new purpose. He was going to take down this Prey himself if Scarlet Jail didn't hurry up. Spitting a bit of blood from his mouth, he looked up at the Prey to share his threat before following its line of sight. What was it looking at-</p>
  <p>No.</p>
  <p>Killua felt his soul leave his body at the sight of Gon in the distance, standing in front of Alluka and Ikalgo. </p>
  <p>This wasn't happening. It <em>couldn't</em> be happening. </p>
  <p>The Prey turned menacingly at the three kids, unhinging its mouth and letting out a loud booming scream. Knightingale and Scarlet Jail fell to their knees at the sheer volume, covering their ears in anguish but all Killua could do was stare at the monster.</p>
  <p>Everything was red. All he saw was red.</p>
  <p>One step. One step from the Prey towards his friends and sister was all it took for Killua to abandon his reason - ever fiber of his being screaming at him to not to act on what his heart was telling him. '<em>You have to save them,'</em> it said.</p>
  <p>Killua listened to it.</p>
  <p>Knightingale watched in horror as Killua practically teleported to the Prey's face, surrounded in a blue orb of pure lightning. Was he trying to kill himself? They were never supposed to push their powers like that! "Don't-"</p>
  <p>The Hunter's words fell on deaf ears. There was no turning back. Killua screamed at the Prey, punching its eye and transferring every ounce of power in his body to the monster. The Prey yowled in agony, its body alight with millions of electrical burns exploding from within. Then, as if all at once, everything stopped and its body evaporated. Somewhere distantly, Killua heard Scarlet Jail call out a purify incantation before he saw a bright light swallow the tiny orb of the once large monster. In its place, a group of unconscious teens on the ground, free from their former corrupt existence as Prey. Drained from using so much of his lightning, Killua stumbled to the ground. </p>
  <p>He did it. </p>
  <p>They were safe. Everyone was safe.</p>
  <p>Killua watched as Gon and his sister ran to him, Ikalgo not far behind, faces worried. He smiled at the sight of them, his worst fears now fading. Gon immediately crouched down beside him, his eyes filling with tears. He wanted to ask his friend why he was crying, but the words just couldn't come out. The last thing he remembered before passing out was Gon standing over his body and a voice calling out his name over and over. </p>
  <p>
    <em>"Silver?! Silver!"</em>
  </p>
  <p>The voice sounded a lot like FistAid's.</p>
</div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>OH NOOOOO. A CLIFFHANGER???? WHO COULD HAVE SEEN THAT COMING????</p><p>I kid, I kid. Don't worry, I won't leave you hanging for too long. Next chapter should be out sometime this week for sure. I'm shooting for Thursday [crosses fingers] but no promises.</p><p>As always, all suggestions for further AUs as well as kudos and comments are welcomed and appreciated. I'll see you guys soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. How much you want to risk?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“What’s wrong?” she asked, giving him the benefit of the doubt. She motioned for the boy to follow her deeper into the park to their usual transformation spot. It was obvious that training wasn’t going to happen when her student couldn’t even concentrate on her lessons. She might as well try and get to the bottom of his behavior instead of wasting it trying to get his attention. Queen of Diamonds tapped the Soul Gem on her collar bone, transforming into her usual attire.</p><p>Gon followed her lead, tapping on his belt. In a second, his green hair and eyes returned back to their normal black and brown color and his clothes were replaced with his favorite green hoodie and comfy jeans, along with his trusty sneakers. Being his normal self made this question easier, but it still wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before exhaling slowly. There really wasn’t any better way to say it but truthfully, right?</p><p>“Bisky, have you ever wanted to punch yourself?”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hooo boy, so this took a LOT longer to churn out than I thought it would. Writing from Gon's PoV for a whole chapter was harder than I thought it'd be. In the previous fics, I always used Killua's PoV as a sort of crutch and focused from his perspective more often since I feel like I can put myself in his head space pretty easy but Gon has always been a tough cookie. You never really see his internal monologues much in the anime or manga so it's hard to know how his thought processes go, so I hope I did him justice and he doesn't seem OoC or anything. </p><p>Anyway, would you guys like some angst? :D [ignores the loud booing] Oh, you do? Well then do I have a great chapter for you!</p><p>Okay, honestly it really isn't that bad past the first flashback - it's more just Gon's worries and anxieties after what happened in the last chapter. For those of you who have made it through any real hardcore angst, this will probably be nothing more than a light stroll in the angst park.</p><p>On a final note, it's the Fourth of April and that means it's Kurapika's bday! [releases confetti] I invite you all to go out and kill a spider in his honor! (only the bad spiders though, not the good house spiders that eat flies and just chill out while you sit with them in the dark during this quarantine. They are good bois.)</p><p>No character art this chapter, but in the fourth and final one will be some sketches of Bisky and Melody's alter ego concepts as the Queen of Diamonds and Unisong respectfully. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">
  <em><strong>轟とどろき焦しょう凍と. </strong> </em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em> <strong>If you are going to rely on words alone, they better be incredibly powerful </strong> </em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em> <strong>- Todoroki Shouto, Boku no Hero Academia</strong> </em>
</p><hr/><p class="western">Gon watched as the flame danced in front of him, its colors mesmerizing. Everything outside of its blue hue was unimportant, nonexistent. His classmate’s gossip over yesterday’s incident, Ms. Palm’s instructions, the smell of smoke reaching his nose-</p><p class="western">“<em>Whoa,</em> dude?! Your crepe is burning!”</p><p class="western">Gon’s eyes widened, his mind coming back down from the clouds at his classmate’s words. Quickly, he threw the pan into the sink and turned off the burner, the once blue flame now flickering into nothing. He sighed. He wasn’t great at cooking to begin with but this was pathetic.</p><p class="western">“Mr. Freecs, you seem distracted today - Is everything alright?” Ms. Palm ran over quickly, eyeing the pan now being filled with cold water and the sad excuse for a crepe burnt to a crisp on the plate. She frowned at the boy before placing her hand on his forehead. “You aren’t running a fever...”</p><p class="western">Gon smiled at her as reassuring as possible. While his Home EC. teacher could get a little crazy whenever she’d babble on about Mr. Knov, she really was a nice person. She looked out for her students and could sense when they were upset so well that at times Gon was sure she was a psychic. So while nothing was physically wrong with him, he couldn’t exactly say he was fine to her without her catching on. It wasn’t like he had a reason to lie to her anyway - he could tell her the reason without going into the specifics.</p><p class="western">“Sorry, Ms. Palm. I’m just worried about Killua,” he told her sheepishly.</p><p class="western">Her eyes softened at the explanation. “I should have known. You two are quite close, it’s no wonder you’d be out of sorts. How is he doing?”</p><p class="western">“He’s...” Fine? No, that definitely wasn’t true. He wasn’t in pain or anything - Mr. Paladiknight promised him so - but he wasn’t doing good either. Telling Ms. Palm that though wouldn’t do much to help explain the situation. “...doing better,” he finally settled on.</p><p class="western">“But still not well enough for your liking,” Ms. Palm smiled knowingly. She took a quick glance at the clock towards the front of the class. Hm. Well...class <em>was</em> almost over in 20 minutes anyway, so what harm would it be to give one of her students a break? She looked back at Gon. “Tell you what: if you clean up your work space, I’ll give you a slip to go to the nurses office for the rest of the class. How’s that sound?”</p><p class="western">Gon’s eyes lit up. “Really?! Thank you so much!” he hurried and took out the sponge from the sink before getting to work on scrubbing the pots and pans. A few of his classmates whined that they wanted to get a hall pass too, overhearing their teacher’s deal to Gon, but quickly changed their tune when they were greeted with Ms. Palm’s threats of keeping them even longer if they didn’t make the perfect dish. She may have a soft spot for students with actual problems, but she had no sympathy for slackers looking for an easy way out of her class.</p><p class="western">Finishing the last bit of the dishes, Gon tossed his apron off onto the coat rack in the back of the class and grabbed his book bag. With another thank you and a quick promise to send Killua everyone’s best wishes to get better, he was gone.</p><p class="western">He hurried to the nurse’s as fast as possible without breaking the school’s no running policy.</p><p class="western">----</p><p class="western">
  <em>[Yesterday]</em>
</p><p class="western">“<em>Silver? Silver!” Gon cried out, huddling over SilverShock’s body. What was he thinking, using all of his powers like that?! Silver was always stressing to him that Gon was the one that overdid things - rushing headlong into battle or using up all of his energy trying to heal someone with no thoughts for the aftermath. Yet now, here Silver was: doing something even worse. He was so reckless! Was this always how he acted whenever Gon wasn’t backing him up as FistAid? There’s no way - Silver always thought things through.</em></p><p class="western">
  <em>Gon looked at his friend, the boy’s eyes weakly staying open and a smile rising to his lips. He looked relieved....Why? Why had he gone so far for a couple of strangers? Silver always tried to save others, but never at risk of himself like this before. Gon wanted to ask him - thank him - but before he could, Knightingale rushed over, kneeling down next to Silver and placing a glowing yellow hand over the Hunter’s heart and gently moving Gon away. “Sorry, I’m going to need some space, kid.” Gon could only nod numbly at Knightingale, his heart still beating rapidly in panic. It just wouldn’t stop. It was like time had frozen and the only thing that was moving was his thumping heart.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>Nothing made sense.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>Why was this happening?</em>
</p><p class="western"><em>Why did it have to be </em>Silver?</p><p class="western">
  <em>It was only then he realized the sniffles to his side. Gon turned his head ever so slightly to his right to see Alluka choking out sobs and hugging herself tightly, her upper arms red with irritation at the nails digging into them violently - scratch marks indented into the skin. He winced in sympathy. Of course she’d be scared seeing the Hunter this way: SilverShock was her favorite. Her idol was laying in front of her, barely hanging on, after doing everything in his power to protect her.</em>
</p><p class="western"><em>To protect </em>them.</p><p class="western">
  <em>Gon distantly remembered Killua’s words months ago, joking about SilverShock one day saving him and carrying him off into the sunset. He made the passing comment about how much he’d love that, but now he’d give anything to take it back. He didn’t want to be saved if it meant Silver had to take his place. Watching this - the person he trusted the most next to Killua - on the brink, was torture.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>He’d give anything to take it back. Please, let him take it back.</em>
</p><p class="western">“<em>Shit,” Knightingale grimaced, his eyes narrowing.</em></p><p class="western">
  <em>Gon’s heart leaped into his throat.”What?! What’s wrong?!”</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>Before Knightingale could answer, SilverShock’s Soul Gem illuminated a bright white color, blinding those close. Gon squinted, his eyes opening back up once the light faded, and tried to readjust to his surroundings. He looked back down to make sure Silver was okay, figuring that the Soul Gem was trying to heal its owner too, but felt the air leave his lungs instead.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>In front of him - where Silver used to be - lay a boy with black locks and a school uniform matching his own.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>In front of him was his best friend.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>In front of him was Killua.</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>----</em>
</p><p class="western">The nurse’s room was eerily silent - too silent if you asked Gon. All that broke the quiet was the steady and soft breathing coming from Killua’s form on the bed and the tick-tocking of Mr. Paladiknight’s clock on the wall - the pendulum swinging back and forth every second.</p><p class="western">Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.</p><p class="western">Breathe in. Breathe out.</p><p class="western">Gon adjusted the flowers next to Killua’s bedside for the fifth time, primping the petals and leaves to face his friend. He probably wouldn’t be waking soon, but if he did at least there would be a beautiful set of sunflowers to greet him in Gon’s absence.</p><p class="western">“You’re such a hypocrite, Killua,” Gon whispered, squeezing the boy’s hand gently. “Aren’t you always saying <em>I’m </em>the stupid one? You’re worse. What you did yesterday was super stupid. You’re the stupidest.” He laughed, trying to choke back his tears.</p><p class="western">He failed and the tears fell down his cheek anyway.</p><p class="western"> </p><hr/><p class="western"> </p><p class="western">“Oi! FistAid!” Queen of Diamonds shouted out to the boy currently looking up into the clouds. Her eye twitched. “<em>Young man!”</em></p><p class="western">Gon blinked before bringing his gaze back to his surroundings and turning to Queen of Diamonds. He blinked again. “Oh. Right.”</p><p class="western">She sighed. A migraine was going to be coming soon, she just knew it. “Mind telling me what is so interesting up there and <em>why </em>it’s more important than training?”</p><p class="western">Gon bowed apologetically. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to ignore you, Bisky-”</p><p class="western">Queen of Diamonds cleared her throat loudly, a vein popping on her forehead. Gon paled. </p><p class="western"><em>“Q-Queen!</em> I didn’t mean to ignore you, Queen of Diamonds!” Gon corrected himself, frantically waving his hands. He forgot who they were right now. Hopefully no one was around to overhear his slip up. “I was just-”</p><p class="western">“You were just daydreaming and <em>not </em>working on that stamina training I’ve been explaining for the past 5 minutes,” she sighed again, even deeper than before.</p><p class="western">This was a rare occurrence for her pupil. In all the years since she’d known him, Gon was a fast and focused learner. If anything, she’d say he was a little <em>too </em>focused - often skipping out on his proper meals and free time he had during the day to hone his skills and take down Prey in the city, no matter how far away the incident was from his location. The boy was an absolute delight to teach - always following her instructions and taking her advice but eager to also take her lessons one step further and come up with his own techniques.</p><p class="western">So to see him like this was...<em>concerning</em>, to say the least.</p><p class="western">“What’s wrong?” she asked, giving him the benefit of the doubt. She motioned for the boy to follow her deeper into the park to their usual transformation spot. It was obvious that training wasn’t going to happen when her student's head in the clouds. She might as well try and get to the bottom of his behavior instead of wasting it trying to get his attention. Queen of Diamonds tapped the Soul Gem on her collar bone, transforming into her usual attire.</p><p class="western">Gon followed her lead, tapping on his belt. In a second, his green hair and eyes returned back to their normal black and brown color and his clothes were replaced with his favorite green hoodie and comfy jeans, along with his trusty sneakers. Being his normal self made this question easier, but it still wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves before exhaling slowly. There really wasn’t any better way to say it but truthfully, right?</p><p class="western">“Bisky, have you ever wanted to punch yourself?”</p><p class="western">----</p><p class="western">“So let me see if I understand this correctly: SilverShock, the boy you’ve worked with and liked for months now is the boy who you’re best friends with and have <em>also </em>liked for months as well but felt guilty liking because you said it was like you were cheating on Silver...?” Bisky rubbed her temple in a circular motion. Yep. There was the migraine.</p><p class="western">Gon nodded aggressively, “Yep, you got it right.”</p><p class="western">“And now he’s out of commission?” she continued.</p><p class="western">Gon nodded again.</p><p class="western">“And he got like that because he protected you?”</p><p class="western">He nodded again. “Me and his sister. And our friend.”</p><p class="western">“He protected you. Not FistAid. You,” she clarified, just to check.</p><p class="western">“Me, not FistAid,” Gon repeated, nodding again.</p><p class="western">Bisky was going to pinch his cheek if he kept nodding like that. “You’re friend was right,” she said. Gon scrunched his eyebrows together in confusion. “You <em>are </em>an idiot,” she deadpanned.</p><p class="western">Gon huffed, a defiant pout on his cheeks. “Killua didn’t realize who <em>I </em>was either!”</p><p class="western">“You didn’t think it was strange that they acted so similar to one another?” she raised an eyebrow, opening up one of the cans of soda they had purchased from the park’s vending machine. Honestly! Weren't they both someone her student supposedly had a crush on? It was astounding that he didn’t connect the two together and realize <em>why</em> he liked them both. It wasn’t as if he was dealing with completely different people - they were the same person with the same personality for heaven’s sake!</p><p class="western">Her student just deepened his pout, his voice taking on an almost sour tone. “Well, when you put it like <em>that...</em>” He looked down at his sneakers, kicking a clump of dirt beneath the soles. “That’s why I said I wanted to punch myself. Once I thought about it, it all clicked into place: Killua was always having to leave in the middle of things because of his sister’s medicine and it was right when I’d get a Prey alert. Then whenever Silver and I would talk about normal stuff it’d be easy and natural just like with Killua.” Gon listed off, counting past occurrences on his fingers.</p><p class="western">In his head, the list went on: Killua would talk about FistAid like he knew him. Silver would joke about skipping school and hating math. Killua listed off random Hunter stats that most people didn’t know and Silver seemed to always show up in Prey sightings near Killua’s neighborhood.</p><p class="western">It just all fit. Why didn’t he see it before?</p><p class="western">“So then, what’s the problem?” Bisky asked, taking a sip. She curled her nose at the taste before looking down at the label? Strawberry? It tasted closer to melted pop-rocks if you asked her. Without even asking, she traded it with Gon’s lemonade and tested the new beverage on her tongue. <em>Ah</em>, much better. “Now you don’t have to choose - it’s okay to like them both because they are one in the same.”</p><p class="western">Gon sipped at the strawberry soda, a happy hum escaping his lips at the sweet taste. He’d have to bring Killua one of these once he woke up - he loved stuff like this. “It’s not really a problem I guess. It’s just kinda...well. I’m nervous. And excited. I. I don’t know how to put it.”</p><p class="western">“Go on,” Bisky took another sip of her lemonade.</p><p class="western">“I wonder if Killua likes me...for <em>me</em>, I guess,” Gon said, his grip on the soda becoming a bit tighter. At his mentor’s confused look, he elaborated. “I can tell he likes me as FistAid. Whenever we’d talk about Hunters, he’d always bring me up and would get all red and shy talking about how strong or reliable I was.” Gon admitted proudly, recalling the particularly adorable reaction Killua had when he had carried his friend as FistAid when he hurt his ankle a few months back. Now that he thought about it, <em>that </em>also explained just how Killua got himself injured. The smile on Gon’s face was quickly replaced with a worrying frown though at his next thought. “But...”</p><p class="western">“You wonder if he likes <em>this</em> part of you too, beyond just friendship, of course,” Bisky finished the sentence for him. Gon nodded solemnly. She smiled to herself. Only <em>her </em>student would worry about something so simple as that. “Let me ask you something, Gon.” His ears perked up and met his teacher’s gaze. “Why did you have such a hard time choosing between Killua and SilverShock?”</p><p class="western">Gon cocked his head to the side, confused as to what she meant. Didn’t he tell her all of this already? “Because I liked everything about both of them. SilverShock is always there for me in battle and is cool and strong and nice. But Killua - Killua I can really talk to! And he’s really cute and fun to be around. I could never chose one over the other. I like them equally, but for different reasons.”</p><p class="western">“Ex-act-ly,” Bisky enunciated proudly. “You couldn’t choose because each was a part of the same person. It only made sense that you liked them both. Soo~?” she asked him, her tone rather sing-song in quality.</p><p class="western">“So-” Gon paused. Wait. Oh. “So that means he’d feel the same way about me and FistAid. Because we’re the same person too...” he realized, wide eyes staring at his soda.</p><p class="western">“<em>Bing Bong</em>~ Absolutely correct!” Bisky chimed, happy that her student had figured it out. “As I said: no need to worry. There’s a good chance that he feels just like you. Not to mention: regardless if he doesn’t like you that way, you guys are best friends, right? There isn’t a doubt in my mind that he’d take your feelings as anything but a compliment even if he doesn’t feel the same. A true friendship can withstand something like this easily.” She grined at her student encouragingly. “Trust this old woman! I’ve been lucky enough to play matchmaker at least a hundred times in my life and every single one has been a success!”</p><p class="western">Gon laughed at that, his worries disappearing like the bubbles in his strawberry drink.</p><hr/><p class="western">Scarlet Jail wrapped his chains around the Prey elegantly, each gray ring clanging against one another as they overlapped. The metal restraints grew tighter and tighter, securing the beast’s overwhelming strength underneath their cold embrace and rendering its body useless. “Knightingale?!”</p><p class="western">“You got it!” his partner’s voice responded in kind before leaping up into the air and slashing the beast straight down the middle with a cut of his sword. A bright yellow gashed from the wound and the Prey roared out in retaliation, enraged at the Hunters’ attacks. “And for the finishing blow?”</p><p class="western">Gon jumped from the roof of a nearby car, readying his punch. “Leave it to me!” A green glow emanated from his fist, strengthening the muscles and bones within. Putting all the power and tension he could manage into one point, he collided his attack square into the chest of the Prey, grinning when it let out a cry signaling its defeat. He quickly whispered the purification chant and watched as the Prey slowly receded back into its smaller form - a man carrying a briefcase laying on the ground unconscious. Gon landed safely back on the ground and turned towards his allies, wiping a stray bead of sweat from his brow. “That went great, you guys! Thanks so much for all the help!”</p><p class="western">Both Scarlet Jail and Knightingale smiled at their fellow Hunter’s praise and gratitude. “Not at all, you had most of it handled. Knight and I were merely here for support,” Scarlet Jail said, his voice fond. It wasn’t often that he had the chance to work alongside FistAid, but every time it was a joy. The young Hunter exhumed positivity and kindness, giving only the brightest of smiles and happiest of laughs. Not only that, but he was reliable to boot and was quite impressive in using his powers despite his age and experience. It wouldn’t be long before the boy would be challenging his own current place as the #4 Hunter in Yorknew, for that he was sure.</p><p class="western">“I’m going to go ahead and check on the civilians and see how many we got injured. There shouldn’t be too many, but it doesn’t hurt to try and fix them up as fast as possible either,” Knightingale said, patting Scarlet Jail on the back.</p><p class="western">His partner nodded in agreement, commending him for his idea. “That’s a good plan. FistAid, should we leave the report to you as first on scene?”</p><p class="western">Gon gave a thumbs up. “Yeah! I’ll tell the Chairman right away. You need to get back to work though, right?”</p><p class="western">Scarlet sighed almost forlornly. “Don’t remind me...”</p><p class="western">“I thought you liked your job?” Knightingale yelled out, still apparently eavesdropping even though he was supposed to be providing help to the injured.</p><p class="western">“I do!” Scarlet yelled back, voice strict. “That doesn’t mean I’m looking forward to hearing my boss’s complaints when she finds out I left in the middle of the day with no one at the front!”</p><p class="western">Knightingale cackled at that before turning his attention to a woman and her little boy, looking over their wounds and healing them up with his powers.</p><p class="western">Gon smiled. “You guys get along really well,” he said, looking back at Scarlet Jail.</p><p class="western">The Hunter raised an eyebrow at the comment. “I should hope so, we’ve been partners for over 3 years now.”</p><p class="western">“No, not like that,” Gon shook his head. “I mean, even just how you talk with one another. It’s not like other Hunter pairs. You guys joke around with each other and everything!”</p><p class="western">“Oh,” Scarlet Jail widened his eyes. He never stopped to consider that before, but FistAid had a point. Then again, he knew Knight outside of work so that was probably the reason on his end. He was still fairly certain Knight still hadn’t figured out his other identity though, if the way he acted so differently when they were at the bookstore was any indication. Regardless, FistAid was right: they were quite closer compared to most other partnerships in the Association. “Well, I think that just happens over time. When you spend enough time with someone like we do, it just comes naturally.”</p><p class="western">It seemed at his explanation, FistAid had an epiphany. “So, you didn’t become partners because you got along so well? It was the other way around?”</p><p class="western">Scarlet Jail hummed in agreement. “Something like that. We worked well as a team for months before becoming a partnership, but we worked solo often back then, as most Hunters do. It was only after taking down a Level 5 together by ourselves one time that Knight and I realized that we were stronger as one and decided to form a duo. And then...” Scarlet Jail trailed off, a soft smile appearing on his face. He chuckled a little before continuing. “And then, before I knew it, we were like this-” Scarlet turned and shouted the rest of his comment in Knightingale’s direction, “-screaming at one another from a mile away that Knight owes me lunch since I had to take an extended break!”</p><p class="western">“In your dreams, Scarlet!” Knightingale screeched back, ignoring the giggles of his current patients, their wounds practically nonexistent thanks to his efforts.</p><p class="western">Gon watched as the two bickered playfully back and forth, an ebb and flow of dialogue dancing between them.</p><p class="western">So this is what partners could be like...</p><p class="western">He unlocked his phone to call Chairman Netero about the Prey, grinning at his home screen. A picture of him and Killua greeted him, both of them sporting cute animal ears: Killua with cat and he with dog ones. It was the best picture Alluka had ever taken of them and Gon had immediately asked her to send it to him.</p><p class="western">If he and Killua became partners someday there was no way they wouldn’t be even better and closer than team Scarlet-Knight.</p><hr/><p class="western">“<em>My favorite flower?” Killua parroted back, confusion evident. Gon nodded, implying for his friend to answer the question. A few seconds ticked by, Killua obviously going through a mental catalog of flowers to pick out which could be called his favorite. “I gueeeeess sunflowers?” Killua said, almost uncertain.</em></p><p class="western">“<em>Sunflowers?” Gon tilted his head, surprised by his friend’s choice.</em></p><p class="western">“<em>Yeah. I don’t know, they’re cheerful and stuff. I’m not really big into flowers like Alluka is so I don’t have much taste, but flowers are supposed to make you happy, right? And since sunflowers do that, I guess I’d say they’re my favorite” Killua explained as if grasping for straws.</em></p><p class="western">
  <em>Gon wasn’t convinced. “That’s it?”</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>Killua shrugged. “Well...”</em>
</p><p class="western">
  <em>So that wasn’t the only reason. Now he was curious. “And?” Gon nudged. He heard Killua mumble something under his breath but couldn’t make it out completely. “What?”</em>
</p><p class="western">“<em>I said,” Killua said, face aflame, “’and they kinda remind me of happy people like you and Alluka’.”</em></p><p class="western">Gon shook his head of the memory from months ago, when he and Killua stayed up all night playing 20 questions. “Any change?” Gon asked, switching out the now wilted sunflowers with a fresh bunch.</p><p class="western">Alluka shook her head sadly, her eyes filled with worry. “Nothing yet. Mr. Paladiknight says that’s a good thing but-”</p><p class="western">“But that means he’s still not awake,” Gon said for her, his thoughts matching up exactly. He looked at Killua’s face, its expression peaceful but unnaturally blank. His friend always looked cute, pretty even, and getting to look at it without Killua becoming flustered should have been a good thing but instead he wanted nothing but the exact opposite. He wanted Killua to be yelling at him to stop staring and that he was embarrassing, not laying here motionless and silent. He wanted to hear Killua laugh once he told him how he and FistAid were the same person, telling Gon that he too was stupid for not realizing it sooner unlike himself who <em>'definitely'</em> knew all along that they were one person. He wanted Killua to shyly confirm that he liked him too. He wanted Killua to agree at being partners, maybe even suggest they could even be boyfriends if Gon wanted. He wanted all of those things.</p><p class="western">But most of all, he just wanted Killua to be okay.</p><hr/><p class="western">Kite tossed his bait into the harbor, tilting his hat forward slightly to shield his eyes from the sun. The day was perfect for some fishing - the sky slightly overcast enough to present shade frequently but still warm enough to not require a jacket. He breathed in the salty air, taking in the way the sea breeze tickled his senses and filled him with the nostalgic memories he shared with his current fishing buddy’s father not so long ago. He looked at said fishing buddy to his left, his eyes smiling at Gon’s hyper-focused figure on high alert and ready to reel in his catch at any moment. Kite smothered the oncoming chuckle in his throat and replaced it was a question instead, but was unable to shake the happiness in its tone. “So what made you want to join me today? Not that I don’t enjoy the company, of course.”</p><p class="western">“The first day of class, Mr. Wing - my English teacher - said that we invented language to talk with one another and share feelings with others.” Gon wasted no time getting right to his question. “But said that over time we sorta just started saying stuff without really meaning it and words lost their purpose. Do you think he’s right?”</p><p class="western">That...was <em>not </em>what he was expecting. Kite didn’t want to sell his favorite godson short or anything but a philosopher he was not. Gon usually didn’t bother with semantics or hypotheticals, choosing to spend his energy on things that were happening in the present or decisions that effected him in the not so distant future. So to hear him pondering about the effectiveness of words was...surprising. Nonetheless, he’d be happy to share his two cents if that’s what was on his mind.</p><p class="western">“I think he makes a decent argument. It’s true that nowadays people talk a lot about nothing, so to speak. We go in circles discussing politics or the weather or other random topics but not really communicating one on one. But I also think that a lot of times words can be powerful too, and that they are still the only tool we have to understanding one another.” Kite hummed a quiet note after his answer, searching for the correct way to phrase his final statement on the subject. “Put it this way: if it weren’t for Ging’s words of encouragement back when I first met him, I never would have gotten the courage to go back to school and get my degree. And I never would have become become a teacher.” He looked back at the boy and grinned when he saw Gon’s sparkling eyes. “I wouldn’t be who I was today if it weren’t for the power of those words. Not to mention I wouldn’t even be <em>standing</em> here today if it weren’t for your words to the Association.”</p><p class="western">“I-” Gon started, ready to assure Kite that he never regretted taking the contract, before noticing the man’s hand that urged him to stop.</p><p class="western">“I know you don’t regret your choice and would do it again in a heartbeat, and I’m grateful for that. However, I just wanted to prove how powerful words can be in the hands of someone who means them.” Kite felt a weight on the end of his line and quickly reeled it in. “Why are you so interested in languages though, if you don’t mind my asking?” With a quick tug, a Yellow perch was flung out of the water and landed next to him and Gon. A beautiful specimen for sure.</p><p class="western">“Whoa! You were right! There really <em>are </em>perch here!” Gon exclaimed, clapping at his godfather’s fishing skills. He quickly pulled out his hunting knife and handed it over to Kite, ready to watch his gutting technique. “And I wouldn’t really say I’m interested but-”</p><p class="western">“But?” Kite asked, already preparing his catch with the knife.</p><p class="western">“It just got me thinking. And wondering...Do-” Gon cut himself off before shaking his head and restarting his question. “If you never tell someone something out loud, does that mean they can’t ever know how you feel?” Kite mulled the question around his head for a moment before asking Gon for an instance, as he was still not quite sure he understood what Gon meant. The boy searched his brain for an example and lit up in excitement when he thought of one. “Like, even though I don’t say it all the time, you know how much I look up to you and that I like when we do stuff like this - fishing and talking and stuff!”</p><p class="western">Kite felt a swell of pride at that. His heart always held a special place for the boy ever since he was born - being the third person outside of Gon's own parents to see him in that hospital delivery room, next to his actual aunt and great grandmother - but hearing that Gon felt the same was uplifting. “I know now.”</p><p class="western">Gon’s eyes widened. “You didn’t know before?!”</p><p class="western">He laughed. “Well, I certainly didn’t think you hated me or else you wouldn’t have saved my life, but I was unaware of the fact that you ‘look up to’ me.”</p><p class="western">“Of course I do! I want to be a marine biologist one day just like you!” Gon rubbed his head in frustration. “Oh man, so then I really <em>do </em>have to use words. If you didn’t know something like <em>that,</em> then there’s <em>no way</em> Killua-” He stopped himself. “I mean-”</p><p class="western">“Ahhhh so that who this is <em>really </em>about,” Kite smirked, happy to finally understand. It figured this was in service of his godson's best friend and fairly obvious crush. Gon rarely overthought anything; the only exceptions to this were whenever family was concerned. And, although not by blood, Killua and his sister were most <em>definitely</em> part of his family.</p><p class="western">The boy whined pitifully, turning his face to the sky. “Ughhhhh, I was doing so <em>well </em>not mentioning him and everything!”</p><p class="western">Kite laughed once again at Gon’s theatrics but quickly turned back to a more serious tone to assure the boy he wasn't trying to poke fun at his expense. “What do you want to tell him? Or, more accurately, what is it that you had hoped he already knew?”</p><p class="western">Gon squatted next to Kite, watching as the man finished cleaning off the fish from his knife - the preparation of their lunch now done. There was no reason to try and avoid the answer now that Kite knew who he was talking about, so he might as well just come clean.</p><p class="western">“I hoped he knew how much I like him without me having to say it,” Gon whispered.</p><p class="western">Kite pat his godson on the shoulder. Well, there was no need to worry about that. If he knew anything about the boy sitting next to him, and he didn't deserve the title of godfather if he didn't, it was that he always gave everything his all. That went for showing how much he cared about someone too. If Killua didn't have the slightest clue or feeling that he was Gon's favorite person in the whole world, well then that boy must be blind. </p><p class="western">“I’m sure he does. Now, how about you help me wrap this up for your aunt? She says she's been wanting to make some chowder."</p><hr/><p class="western">It was two minutes into 4th period that it happened. Gon had just pulled out his notebook when Dr. Paladiknight’s voice rang through the classroom speaker telling him to report to the nurse’s office immediately. He dropped the notebook and his pencil without a second to waste and hurried out the door with a couple of classmates cheering out their support and reminders to say hi for them, his heart thumping wildly in his chest. Not a moment later and he was barreling into the door to Dr. Paladiknight's office. </p><p class="western">Killua was awake.</p><p class="western">He could hardly contain himself as he took in the sight. There he was, sitting up and talking to Alluka and Dr. Paladiknight animatedly, trying to calm both of them down and nagging at them to stop crying. “I’m fine! I’m fine! Seriously, you guys are-”</p><p class="western">“KILLUA!” Gon flung himself at his best friend, ignoring the soft ‘oof’ he made and the warnings from Dr. Paladiknight to take it easy on him. He could care less what the nurse had to say: Killua was awake and that was all that matter. He was here, in his arms.</p><p class="western">He was in <em>his</em> arms.</p><p class="western">Gon jumped back immediately, realizing what he had just done. Wait, they always hugged, why was it all of a sudden weird to?</p><p class="western">Killua seemed just as confused as Gon, raising an eyebrow as to his friend’s sudden shyness. “Uh, you aren’t going to break me with a hug, you know?”</p><p class="western">“I-I know!” Gon mentally slapped himself. Why was he so nervous?! This was <em>Killua, </em>he had nothing to be anxious about!</p><p class="western">“Okayyyyy...” Killua eyeballed him, turning his attention back to Dr. Paladiknight. “How long have I been out?”</p><p class="western">Seemingly reminding himself, Dr. Paladiknight scooched out of his office chair and strolled over to get his clipboard, looking over a few documents attached. “It’s been a week. Also, you seem completely aware of who you are and who we are so that’s an excellent sign. How many fingers?”</p><p class="western">“Four,” Killua scoffed, looking at the nurse’s hand. “Please tell me you aren’t going to seriously give me the whole test-”</p><p class="western">“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t - What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked, flipping a page.</p><p class="western">Killua went silent, his previous act of bravado disappearing in a flash. “Uh,” he looked wide eyed at Gon. Oh. Right. He...he wasn’t supposed to know about Killua’s alter ego. Now was the time to speak up-</p><p class="western">“Just say it, Big Brother,” Alluka huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. “He already knows.”</p><p class="western">Or Alluka could do it instead, that worked too.</p><p class="western">He smiled sheepishly at Killua’s paling face. Well, ‘better sooner rather than later’ as Aunt Mito would always say. “Thanks for saving us, Killua. I’m kinda upset that I didn’t notice it sooner - you being SilverShock, I mean. No wonder you always skipped classes or had to leave in the middle of a movie.”</p><p class="western">Gon watched as Killua gripped the sheets underneath his fingers, the fabric almost tearing at the pressure. The next words out of his friend’s mouth were quiet and borderline ashamed. “I’m sorry I never told you...”</p><p class="western">“<em>No.</em> Don’t. You don’t have to apologize, Killua!” Gon frowned, grabbing both of Killua’s wrists away from the sheets and holding them tightly. “You just didn’t want to get me involved, I know that! You only hid it because you wanted me to stay safe. Hunters don’t just share their secret identities with anyone!” How could Killua think for even one second that he was mad at him for something like this? It wasn’t as if Gon had revealed his secret identity to him either, so they were equal. “It wasn’t because you don’t trust me with it.”</p><p class="western">Killua released his wrists from Gon’s hold immediately in a panic before grabbing them back in his own hold. “Of course I trust you! There’s no one else I trust more!” Killua blushed at his own outburst before continuing. “I. I wanted to tell you. I just-”</p><p class="western">“You were just worried, I know.” Gon smiled at him, intertwining his own fingers into Killua’s. “I get it.”</p><p class="western">“Do you?” Killua grumbled, still slightly pink in his cheeks.</p><p class="western">“I do,” Gon assured him, widening his smile.</p><p class="western">Killua smiled back before squirming his hands out of Gon’s. He took a little breath of reprieve before turning to Dr. Paladiknight, his cheeks now returning to their normal color and his voice steady. “Okay then. To answer your question, the last thing I remember was using up my powers to take out that Prey and stopping it from reaching Gon and my sis. Then, they rushed over when I started to collapse and then..<em>.then</em>...” Killua furrowed his brow before smacking his forehead with his hand. “<em>Wait.</em> Hold on.”</p><p class="western">Everyone gave Killua a questioning look. Dr. Paladiknight spoke up first, “What’s up, kid?”</p><p class="western">“<em>FistAid.</em> I heard his voice right as I blacked out - He didn’t see me transform back into myself, did he?” Killua asked, annoyed and frustrated.</p><p class="western">Gon froze. <em>Wait,</em> Killua hadn’t realized yet-? He looked to Dr. Paladiknight and Alluka, seeing their confused expressions. No one had figured it out. Hold on, this wasn't happening-</p><p class="western">“Uh, FistAid wasn’t there at all, kid. You must have been hallucinating or something,” Dr. Paladiknight explained, worry in his voice. “Maybe I should run a test to check for audio halluc-”</p><p class="western">“I wasn’t<em> hearing things</em> - I know what I heard. He called out to me! I’d know his voice anywhere,” Killua growled.</p><p class="western">Gon tried to swallow but found it difficult. Did he really mean that? He’d know his voice <em>anywhere?</em> But then how did he<em> not</em>-</p><p class="western">“I’m telling you he wasn’t there, kid. Come on, Gon, Alluka, back me up here!”</p><p class="western">Gon opened his mouth, ready to explain, but was cut off but Alluka giving her agreement. “He’s right. FistAid wasn’t there, Big brother.”</p><p class="western">“Maybe you were using him as a sort of focal point to try and keep yourself from passing out? You told me once that you trusted FistAid to always have your back in the thick of things, so it could have been a subconscious reaction. Like, your brain creating his voice as a sign that you were going to be okay. I hear it's a common coping mechanism in life-threatening situations,” Dr. Paladiknight offered, scratching his chin.</p><p class="western">“Maybe...I guess I could see that. Well, I’m glad he didn’t find out my secret identity at least." Killua sighed in relief. He looked back up but frowned when he saw Gon’s face. “Gon? What’s wrong?” Killua kicked softly at his friend’s knee to get his attention. “You look like you’re about to barf.”</p><p class="western">“Nothing, just. Glad that...FistAid didn’t find out. You aren’t ready to tell him yet, right?” Gon asked, putting on what he hoped was a decent enough looking grin. Apparently it was since Killua didn’t bat an eye.</p><p class="western">“Yeah. I’ll tell him one day, but for now....” Killua gave one of his rare genuine smiles that Gon loved, “I think 3 people knowing is enough."</p><p class="western">Alluka and Dr. Paladiknight gave the boy smiles of their own before telling him to take another nap for good measure, assuring him that they weren’t going anywhere. He begrudgingly obeyed and wished them all a goodnight before shooing Gon and Alluka back to their classes and demanding Dr. Paladiknight to not make too much noise.</p><p class="western">Gon found himself alone outside of his fourth period’s classroom door, replaying the last half hour in his head for the 6th time since leaving. Before he could open the door and rejoin the lesson, the bell for dismissal rang and his classmates all but scurried out, almost trampling him in the process. He rushed to regain his footing and head to his next class but was interrupted by the familiar beeping from his book bag signaling a Prey sighting. He pulled it out and felt his heart drop as he read the message.</p><p class="western">
  <span class="u">‘<b>Level 4. Outskirts of Harlem. Near 711. Scarlet Jail requesting backup. Knightingale and SilverShock currently out of commission. FistAid, Unisong, Queen of Diamonds, do you copy?’</b></span>
</p><p class="western">Gon quickly typed out his response before making his way past the cafeteria and jumping through his usual escape route to the back of the school behind the oak tree. He tapped on his Soul Gem currently in its keychain form and dangling from his book bag, whispering his oath into its lime green depths: “In the name of HAPPINESS, I ask of thee, grant me the powers to aid those in need. My name is FistAid.” With a flourish, the gem glowed a bright green and his school uniform was now replaced with his usual cargo pants, his combat boots, and his many satchels containing first aid resources. Patting himself down for good measure, Gon took off as fast as he could.</p><p class="western">
  <span class="u">‘<b>I copy, Scarlet Jail! I’m on my way, stay safe!’</b></span>
</p><p class="western">With one last longing glace back to his school now growing farther into the distance, he sighed. Oh well, he wasn’t going to pressure Killua into anything. It already meant the world to him that Killua trusted his secret identity with Gon himself, so what if he had to wait a little longer to tell him his own? He could wait.</p><p class="western">Killua was worth it.</p><hr/><p class="western">It was well after sundown that Gon finally could relax, running straight into the comforting arms of Mito and Abe for some much needed support after a long day of Hunting and school. He felt absolutely exhausted, barely even registering his aunt’s famous stew in his mouth during dinner, and almost falling asleep in his nice hot bath. This had been the first time in a while he had to work without Killua by his side and his body wouldn’t let him forget it. Everywhere he looked was a new purple and blotchy bruise taunting him with a ‘<em>you suck without Silver!’</em> Killua couldn’t get better soon enough.</p><p class="western">Plopping on his bedspread, Gon looked down at his Soul Gem, currently in its pendant form which hung around his neck, and noticed its murky color. He could feel the knot in his stomach tighten, anxiety growing ever more. That’s what he was afraid of. Why was it still all gross? He had done his usual therapy, even using one of Mito’s lavender candles while taking his bath, so why wouldn’t it go back to normal? Bisky and the Chairman had warned him constantly that if the gem stayed black for too long, he’d be unable to continue as a Hunter, but what exactly was he supposed to do? This hadn’t ever happened before...</p><p class="western"><em>B'zzzt.'  </em>Gon tore his attention from the gem to his buzzing phone. <em>What?</em> He looked at his bedside clock. It was already midnight, who was texting him? Ikalgo was a super earlier riser, often in bed by 9, and Alluka and Killua definitely shouldn’t be up right now since Dr. Paladiknight was watching over them until Killua was back to 100%. He rolled over onto his stomach and unlocked the screen.</p><p class="western">
  <span class="u">[12:03] '<em>Call it my sixth sense if you want but I got a bad feeling all of a sudden and wanted to check in. If you need to talk, I’m up. You probably aren’t though since it’s a school night, but I thought I would offer anyway. Sweet dream, Gon. - Kite’</em></span>
</p><p class="western">Gon felt the knot unwind and his lips curl into a smile. Without giving it a second thought, he clicked on the green phone icon below Kite’s contact photo and listened to the line ring.</p><p class="western">‘<em>Hello?’ </em>a voice answered, worry lacing the two syllables.</p><p class="western">“Kite...” he replied, his voice hushed. “Can you tell me about one of your fishing boat adventures?”</p><p class="western">A quiet but warm laughter filled Gon’s ear. '<em>Anything for you, kiddo.' </em></p><p class="western">He fell asleep dreaming of swordfish and dolphins, of far away lands and storms as wild and fierce as a hurricane. He pictured the dark clouds rolling in the thunder and creating choppy but exciting waves that Kite and he navigated with the powerful and howling wind blowing their ship’s sails onward. He could taste the spark of the lightning that would strike soon after, charging the water with currents of life and sparks that glowed a bright blue. And, as it always was and had been since he met him: he felt Killua’s eyes - so electric that they put those lightning bolts to shame - meet his own from across the ships bow.</p><p class="western">No matter what the dream was, Killua was always there.</p><p class="western">In the morning, Gon would wake up as he always did. Hit the snooze one too many times, brush his teeth, enjoy Abe’s delicious homemade jam with a piece of toast, and then get dressed for school. With a quick peck on Mito’s cheek and a farewell to their neighbor and his mentor Bisky, he was off. He raced his way to Heavens, greeting Mr. Sakamoto and Mr. Kurisu at the local flowershop along the way, and checking out Ms. Futaba’s toy store window displays for new figurines of his best friend and favorite Hunter. Disappointingly, it seemed there weren’t, but maybe by the end of the week there would be.</p><p class="western">As he turned to leave he looked at his reflection in the shop window and felt the last remaining thread of anxiety unravel. There, in all its emerald green glory, his Soul Gem shined back at him around his neck, free of its blackened state from the night before.</p><p class="western">He recalled Kite’s lulling tales and Killua’s reassuring gaze and smiled to himself. It seemed all his Soul Gem needed was a good night’s sleep after all.</p><p class="western"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always: comments, kudos, and suggestions for future aus are appreciated! I hope to see you guys soon and wish you luck staying safe and full of good health in these trying times.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Somebody I Can Kiss</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Are you sleeping?”</p><p>Gon blanked. “I. Um. Sorry? I don’t get what you mean? I mean, I’m awake…”</p><p>Unisong laughed quietly before shaking her head in disagreement and clarifying. “No, no, I meant: Are you sleeping at night? I noticed it during the battle and just now when you were on the phone - your soul has been giving off a heavy melody, as if it is anxious or stressed. It’s a quite common tune I hear in tired souls, so I thought perhaps you might be having trouble sleeping.”</p><p>Gon felt his heart sink yet again. Oh.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody. This chapter has been a long time coming, over 3 months between the last update now, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who sent in comments during that time. Every single one of them filled me with joy and pushed me to pick up and start writing again even when it was hard. And it was always hard. </p><p>My aunt passed away during the chapter hiatus, leading me and most of my family into a weird sort of depression. The Corona thing didn't help much either, considering we couldn't hold a funeral for her since no one can travel right now, and doing pretty much anything - even getting out of bed - took effort for the first month. But every day I woke up and saw a new kudos, a new comment, a new bookmark and as little as those gestures may seem, they meant everything to me. It made me have a reason to get up and do something instead of just thinking about my aunt.  So I did. I started writing a little bit every day, some harder than others. Because of this, I think this is not only the most personal chapters I've ever written in my life, but also one of my most emotional. It's a lot different than how I first intended the ending, but I can't help but find it fitting. </p><p>I know this was a little more personal than you might have signed up for, but I just wanted to let everyone one know why it took me so long and to honestly thank each and every reader - old or new - who stuck with me and the hiatus for this last chapter. </p><p>So, I dedicate this chapter to you. To you and my aunt. </p><p>Without further ado, the conclusion to one of my favorite aus to date and my proudest chapter. Character sketches for Melody and Bisky below the quote.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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  <p>
    <strong>
      <em>I know there'll be risks, but I want to face them with you. It's wrong that we should be only half alive...half of ourselves. I love you. <br/>So here I am - standing in your doorway. I have always been standing in your doorway.<br/>Isn't it about time somebody saved <span class="u">your</span> life?" </em>
    </strong>
  </p>
  <p>
    <strong>
      <em>M.J. Watson, Spider-Man 2</em>
    </strong>
  </p>
  <hr/>
  <p>
    
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</blockquote><hr/><p>The sun settled on the horizon, turning the sky into a beautiful painting of ember and honey. Gon watched as the clouds caught each fleck of sunlight to turn into a soft pink, reminding him of the cotton candy Aunt Mito would often buy him whenever they’d go to the carnival. The sight was calming and quiet.</p><p>The exact opposite of his heart right now.</p><p>“Hey...Killua?” Gon asked, ignoring the pitter-patter of his heartbeat. He kept his gaze on the sunset to distract himself. To his left, Killua and Alluka were lazing about with their heads down in the grass. Killua was playing on his phone, sounding a happy hum of victory - he must have caught a good pokemon - while Alluka was obviously more interested in the clouds above them, perhaps creating shapes in their fluffy bodies. </p><p>“Yeah?” Killua replied, voice still obviously distracted by his game. He placed his index onto the screen and moved in a circular motion, most likely attempting to put a spin on a Pokeball for extra points. Gon never bothered much with that - as long as he caught the creature in the end, that was all that mattered.</p><p>“Why’d you become a Hunter?”</p><p>Gon shifted his eyes to the boy and held his breath as he saw Killua’s finger stop moving. Alluka herself seemed to still at the topic as well. Figures this was a pretty heavy topic - it’s not like people became Hunters for the fun of it. If anything, the whole system weeded those types out since you needed dedication and passion to power your own abilities in the first place. If you didn’t have a good reason for taking the oath, you couldn’t take the oath at all. That didn’t change the fact that everyone had their own different and personal reason for becoming one though.  </p><p>And Gon really wanted to know why Killua did.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>Gon huffed.<em> Of course. </em></p><p>Killua didn’t like talking about his other life with Gon one bit. He could only assume this was because Killua wanted to keep him out of that world, the world of Hunters. While that was pointless considering he already was, it was the thought that counted. He’d even say it was sweet - and especially cute - of Killua to try and protect him like that. It still didn’t change the fact that whenever he would ask, the boy would often try to dodge the question or change the subject - sometimes even flat out refusing to answer if Killua thought it was none of his business. And Gon hated that. Even harmless questions like how many Prey he had taken down that week or how fast his lightning could take him were hard to pry out of him. A question like this was way worse in comparison.</p><p>Oh well. Gon was anything if not stubborn.</p><p>“It means exactly what I asked: ‘Why did you become a Hunter?’” </p><p>Killua twisted his mouth as if he could seal his lips shut, effectively ending the questionnaire if he could not physically talk. He looked at his sister with a weird expression on his face. If Gon had to describe it, he’d almost say it looked like Killua was asking for permission. Judging by Alluka’s nod in response, maybe it was. Phone now abandoned at his side, Killua looked up to the caramel sky and took in a breath. Gon waited as the air slowly left Killua’s lungs and the boy’s lips parted in exhale. </p><p>A moment’s pause. </p><p>“Because I wanted to kill my family.”</p><hr/><p>“...Aid. FistAid?” </p><p>Gon looked up from his bloodied hand, the skin raw and covered in dirt and debris. Unisong was looking down at him, a pleasant but slightly worried smile on her face. She held out a hand, offering him help out of the man-made crater left from their most recent struggle. He gratefully accepted and let himself be pulled up out of the hole. He wrapped one of his bandages around his wound and took in the damage. Most of the destruction seemed to be fixed. Queen of Diamonds stood a ways away and placed a hand on a half-standing building, commanding the cells to mend, reorganizing themselves to their former state. In an instant, the building was repaired. He glanced at the rest of the street and noticed the other poles and buildings had received similar treatment - as if the Level 4 incident hadn’t even happened.</p><p>Just how long had he been sitting down there?</p><p>“You guys are so cool. Everything looks good as new!” </p><p>Unisong laughed softly at the praise while Queen of Diamonds tutted in reprimand. “They looked just fine without our help before <em> you </em> tore them apart, you know?” </p><p>Gon rubbed his head sheepishly. He did have a habit of throwing caution to the wind and going all out during Prey takedowns, but this had to be one of his more disastrous outcomes yet. He couldn’t put his finger on why his powers were being so destructive as of late, but it didn’t bother him too much. What were a few broken roads and windows when it meant saving people’s lives and purifying Prey anyway? It was fine, he just had to work on holding back a little more from now on. </p><p>“Thank you both for the help once again. I was worried that the Prey would leave and attack the other neighborhoods before I could purify it. I had no idea it was deaf. Fortunately, my songs could still create sound barriers to protect the residence.” Unisong gave an apologetic smile to him and Queen of Diamonds. </p><p>“Not at all! <em> I </em> should be the one apologizing! I’m the one who made all the mess since I tried taking it on myself. You should thank her, it was all Queen of Diamonds,” he grinned. </p><p>At his words, Queen of Diamonds placed her hands on her hip, an amused look dancing across her face. Gon’s grin grew wider in response. He knew Bisky wasn’t as mad at his mess as she let on. If she was, even his compliments would be useless in changing her mood. Seeing her smile like this proved that her previous comment was only an attempt to teach him and remind him to work on his self-control.</p><p>“Well, now that I’ve finished most of the repairs, I’ll be taking my leave. You should hurry back to school yourself soon, okay?” Bisky warned, the farewell more an order than a request. </p><p>Gon nodded fast in agreement, knowing he’d best not ignore her advice for fear of a future scolding. He turned back to Unisong, a goodbye ready on his lips, before feeling a familiar vibration in the pocket of his trousers. A call? He pulled his phone out and felt his heart plummet at the sight of Killua’s face smiling up at him. Oh.<em> Right. </em> He tried his best to relax before clearing his throat and picking up the call. Hopefully, his voice would sound normal as could be and wouldn’t give away the fact he was exhausted from the battle.</p><p>“Hello-?”</p><p><em> “WHERE </em> <b> <em>ARE</em> </b> <em> YOU?!”  </em></p><p>Gon held the phone away before his ear could take any more damage. Oh boy. Usually, <em> he </em> was the loud one. If Killua was yelling, he must be <em> really </em>mad. </p><p>“Well-” he started.</p><p>
  <em> “Nuh-uh, nope. I don’t want to hear it.” </em>
</p><p>“Then why did you ask, Killua?!” Gon whined. </p><p><em>“Just get back here. </em><b><em>Right. Now.</em></b><em>” </em>Killua growled.<em> “You know</em> <em>I suck at presenting - that’s why I worked on the paper instead. If you make me stand up here by myself, I swear to </em><b><em>God</em></b><em>-”</em></p><p>“I’ll be there as soon as I can. We’re the last group anyway so-”</p><p>
  <em> “So that means you better hurry. The period is almost over, you dummy.” </em>
</p><p>Gon flinched at that. He really was just standing around in that crater for a while. “I’ll be right there. See you soon.”</p><p>
  <em> “‘Kay. Bye.” </em>
</p><p>He hung up the phone with a relieved sigh. Thank goodness Killua didn’t push it - he hated lying. He was pretty sure he sucked at it too but that was another matter. Before he could go back to telling Unisong goodbye, he found himself being interrupted yet again. This time, though, it was by Unisong and not his phone.</p><p>“FistAid, may I ask you something?”</p><p>Gon closed his mouth, his farewell disappearing once again. He nodded. Unisong walked closer, tucking a strand of her violet hair behind her ear. It seemed as if she was trying to carefully choose her words, like the question itself was hard to phrase. Maybe it was.</p><p>“Are you sleeping?”</p><p>Gon blanked. “I. Um. Sorry? I don’t get what you mean? I mean, I’m awake…”</p><p>Unisong laughed quietly before shaking her head in disagreement and clarifying. “No, no, I meant: Are you sleeping<em> at night </em>? I noticed it during the battle and just now when you were on the phone - your soul has been giving off a heavy melody, as if it is anxious or stressed. It’s a quite common tune I hear in tired souls, so I thought perhaps you might be having trouble sleeping.”</p><p>Gon felt his heart sink yet again. <em> Oh. </em></p><p>“Ah. I apologize if I am intruding-”</p><p>“No, it’s not that,” Gon shook his head. “I don’t mind. I just didn’t know it was that obvious is all.”</p><p>Unisong knit her brow together, worry on her face. “May I ask why you are?”</p><p>“Um...” Gon scratched his cheek. He thought about everything. About the guilt he felt lying to Killua as of late. About the stress of acting like he knew less about Hunters as he let on. About responding to Prey attacks where Killua would be going less and less out of fear that Alluka or Ikalgo would figure it out. He thought about everything.</p><p>Even about Killua’s reasons for becoming a Hunter.</p><p>His soul must have said it all judging by Unisong’s ever-increasingly worried expression. Even her eyes looked somber, their sympathy quite evident. </p><p>“I know it’s not my place, but this type of stress is unwell. I can only imagine your Soul Gem has been taking the brunt of all these emotions as well. If it gets any worse…”</p><p>The result didn’t have to be said. </p><p>He would fall into despair - never to return. A Prey that couldn’t be purified. A monster.</p><p>He shuddered.</p><p>“I’ll...I’ll be okay. If it gets even a little bit worse, I’ll get Queen of Diamonds’ or the Chairman’s help, I promise. The last thing I want is to become something like that,” Gon promised her.</p><p>“I understand,” Unisong whispered, most likely still unsatisfied by his answer but unwilling to push the topic any further, for his sake. “Well then, I best head off to relay the report. Be safe.”</p><p>“You too!” Gon waved. Feet as fast as they could go, he sped off back to school - leaving Unisong’s words and worries behind him. Nearing the silhouette of the gates of the school, Gon ducked behind a tree and transformed back into his normal form. He hopped over the gates, landing with a soft ‘oof’, before finding an entryway - the side door entrance to the cafeteria still thankfully open. He looked at the clock looming over the large room, checking the time. Phew. He still had 15 minutes before the period was over and plenty of time to present their project. Ignoring two hall monitors and their gripes about running inside, Gon made his way to Biology. A smile quickly overtook his lips as he spotted Kite’s familiar hat and relaxed grin currently leaning against the classroom’s door frame, a knowing look on his face. He pointed a thumb towards the entrance and chuckled when Gon quickly jogged inside, the boy catching his breath once he had made it. </p><p>All at once, the adrenaline from the earlier Prey battle and anxiety from Unisong’s words faded from his brain. Killua was sitting on the edge of Kite’s desk, dangling his feet in agitation and looking down at his phone with a pout on his face. As if sensing the new presence in the class, he looked up to meet Gon’s gaze and his eyes narrowed.</p><p>“You’re. Late.<em> ” </em></p><p>“But I’m here and that’s what counts, right?” Gon smiled, hopeful that Killua move right along and get to the part where he’s forgiven. It seemed Killua didn’t get the memo though and Gon was given a pinch on his arm as punishment before moving to Kite’s computer, pulling up a PowerPoint and displaying it on the projector. Oh well, that was good enough. If Killua wanted to, he could pinch him at least 10 times harder than that. </p><p>Gon made his way to the side of the projector screen and checked for Kite’s approval to start before facing the class with a confident and toothy smile. First, introductions - just as Kite had them rehearse. “My name is Gon and…” he looked towards Killua.</p><p>“...I’m Killua.”</p><p>“And our presentation is on Lichen! Lichen are...”</p><p>Kite watched as his godson naturally eased into presenting, listing off all the facts and topics of the species they were assigned. Killua stayed off to the side, his eyes usually on Gon instead of the words projected behind him - so much so that he even jumped when asked to click to the next slide. Kite chuckled at the sight. While Gon was instantly likable and practically impossible to hate, he had yet to see someone develop such a deep affection for the boy. It warmed him to see someone care for Gon just as much as he did for them. He wouldn’t be surprised if by this time next year the two would be joining him on fishing trips as a couple instead.</p><p>He let his eyes wander over Gon and Killua’s smiles, their explanations fading into the background, before Gon’s pendant caught his eye - the hue a deep and dark green.</p><p>Hm. How strange. He could have sworn the gem was a lighter shade, closer to a lime. </p><p>Perhaps he was mistaken.</p><hr/><p>Killua couldn’t explain it but there was <em> something </em>off with Gon lately. Sure, he was the weirdest person he had ever met - and that was saying something - but nowadays he was downright strange. </p><p>Take last week, for example.</p><p>Mr. Kite had assigned a group project about some type of living organism where a duo had to write a paper and put together a slideshow to present in front of the class. Naturally, he and Gon raced to each other’s desk when they found out they could choose their own partners. Not only was it obviously a win since he could work with his best friend, but they also made a great team too - Gon the charismatic public speaker, happy to make the presentation actually fun to listen to, and Killua the brains, happy to stay as far away from the spotlight as possible but make everything work and fit together for Gon to say in the first place. </p><p>They just fit together perfectly. Killua wouldn’t ever say so out loud, of course, but it was true nonetheless. So everything seemed fine. They argued a little first on what organism they were going to choose - although they always argued about the stupidest of things so he wasn’t really surprised to find Gon wanted to present on algae for some dumb reason. After a “heated discussion” over which was cooler, algae or bacteria, they decided to just compromise and choose Lichen, which was both. That was all par for the course though - he and Gon always fought over little things like that. What <em> wasn’t </em> expected though was how hard it was to get Gon to actually come over and work on it in the first place. And <em> that </em>was weird. It took until that Wednesday, a full 2 days after the project was assigned to them, for him to come over. Months ago he had to fight to keep Gon from basically moving in with them but now it was like he had a million reasons why he couldn’t even come over for dinner. </p><p>Even Alluka had caught on quickly that something was up.</p><p><em> “Did you have a fight?” </em>He remembered Alluka asking him one day over breakfast. He had shook his head no and went back to eating his pancakes right after, but the question nudged the back of his brain on repeat for the rest of the day. </p><p>Had they? Sure, whenever they did fight they’d make up practically 5 minutes later - he begrudgingly accepted the fact that he’d never truly be able to get mad at Gon for real - but maybe he had said something without realizing it and that’s why Gon was suddenly so busy. Paranoid over the idea, Killua found himself constantly reading too much into his and Gon’s interactions that day. Did Gon always say he had to call Mito at lunch? Was he always a little quiet during first period? Did he always yawn during Home Ec?</p><p>Killua couldn’t remember. He tried to think about how Gon usually acted but he kept drawing a blank. Maybe he <em> was </em> acting as usual and Killua was the weird one for once. He would have accepted that and forgotten all about it.</p><p>Until <em> The Cupcake Incident </em> happened.</p><p>He remembered Ms. Palm screaming in anguish and chucking Gon’s cupcake into the trash can, gasping for breath and tears streaming down her face. Their Home Ec teacher had a flair for the dramatic so he initially chalked her reaction up to that until she spit out her explanation.</p><p><em> “Awful, disgusting -” </em> she choked, <em> “- the most VILE cupcakes I have EVER tasted!”  </em></p><p>Gon by this point would normally be rubbing his head bashfully and apologizing for the mistake - he wasn’t a great baker, to begin with. This time though-</p><p>
  <em> “...Oh. I. I guess I forgot the sugar. Sorry, I’m. I’m not feeling too great, Ms. Palm. Can I be excused?” </em>
</p><p><em> What? </em> Killua frowned at Gon’s words. He <em> never </em> asked to go to the nurse. He was so stubborn Ikalgo joked that Gon would have to have his arm chopped off before he would consider visiting a doctor - and even then he’d probably say he just needed a bandaid. Now, he was flat out forgetting to add sugar, one of the only important ingredients in desserts, and asking to see a nurse? </p><p>Something was definitely wrong. </p><p>He tried asking about it after school, but Gon laughed it off, saying he just stayed up for too long studying - an obvious lie considering Killua had to tape his eyelids open whenever reading their textbooks on study nights. He decided to let it go. If Gon wasn’t going to tell him, he couldn’t care less.</p><p>Or at least, that’s what he told himself at first. Turns out, he cared a <em> lot </em> . Seeing Gon so obviously distracted by something was starting to make <em> him </em>distracted. Even when Gon ended up coming over on Wednesday to finally work on the project, he spent the entire time focused on studying Gon instead. He’d be formatting the paragraph spacing one minute while the next he’d be wondering why Gon kept breaking the lead on his pencil. </p><p>And that wasn’t even the worst of it.</p><p>
  <em> “...Gon?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Hm?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em> “Nothing, just... You okay over there?” </em>
</p><p>For the first hour they had sat down to work, Gon was dead silent. No grunts of frustration about trying to remember scientific names or whining that he wanted to take a snack break as usual. No random fact he just ‘had to tell Killua right now!’ in the middle of reading a sentence. No nothing. Just...quiet.</p><p>Strange.</p><p>
  <em> “Yeah, just thinking.” </em>
</p><p>Really strange.</p><p>Killua shrugged into his jacket, adjusting the hood slightly and pulling the sleeves down - the ends reaching just past his knuckles. His mind wandered, all of last weeks events at the forefront of his thoughts.</p><p>Something was up and now that the project was over? </p><p>He was going to get to the bottom of it.</p><hr/><p>“Sleep well last night?” Killua asked. Switch now placed down and blue eyes steady on Gon’s own brown, the question felt loaded - to him, at least.</p><p>“Yep?”</p><p>“Really?” </p><p>Yikes. Gon knew that tone.</p><p>“Yep! Super well! Why?” Gon hoped his smile was strong enough to fool his friend’s scrutinous eyes. Why did he have to be so bad at this? It didn’t help that Killua was the king of lies, knowing a bluff when he saw one, but Gon didn’t have a poker face anyway. </p><p>“Because that’s the fifth time you’ve yawned in the last 20 minutes,” Killua stated, every ounce of his voice teaming with disbelief. </p><p>He had counted?!</p><p>“W-well -” Gon stuttered before turning to his default excuse these days “- I <em> did </em>stay up a little bit studying but-”</p><p>Killua flicked him on the forehead. Ouch! What was that for?!</p><p>“What was that for?!” he said as much.</p><p>“For being the worst liar in the world!” </p><p>Gon watched as Killua crossed his arms in a huff, his face painted with furrowed brows and a deep frown.<em> Oh.  </em></p><p>“You’re <em> angry </em>angry,” Gon stated, almost breathless. He hadn’t seen Killua like this except a handful of times - the memory of Killua talking about his family coming to mind. </p><p>“Really? You figure that all out by yourself?” Killua sighed, deciding to put his game away completely now that they were having a more serious talk. He let his backpack fall the class floor haphazardly - its importance apparently secondary to their words - and he readjusted himself in the seat, leaving only the few inches of desk between them. </p><p>Gon looked down, unable to look anywhere else now that Killua took up most of his field of vision. If he met Killua head-on, there was no doubt the truth would be out of his mouth in an instant. Lying over the phone or as a casual excuse was one thing.</p><p>He never could lie to Killua’s face. That would just be cruel. Killua deserved better than that. </p><p>“Gon, seriously. I-” Killua’s voice cracked slightly. It sounded like he was trying not to cry and Gon felt himself flinch at the implication. Here he was, trying to protect Killua’s feelings by keeping his identity a secret but somehow it ended up hurting him more. “I’m worried about you.”</p><p>Gon raised his eyes at that, shocked, and felt his lip unintentionally twitch.</p><p>“Shut up. Don’t even start.” Killua glared, but his voice betrayed him - a hint of laughter now replacing its once emotional tone. </p><p>Before he could stop himself, a giggle escaped Gon’s lips. Almost as if a dam had broken, Killua had also started laughing and the two found themselves gasping for air - faces red and cheeks wet with happy tears. </p><p>“I’m- ” Gon laughed, ”- I’m sorry. Honest Killua just sounds so funny. It doesn’t fit!” </p><p>“Hey, I’m trying here, okay?” Killua’s laughter died down but the smile still remained on his lips. </p><p>It seemed that, thankfully, their conversation would be more comfortable now that the tension had broke. However…</p><p>“Gon.”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“I mean it though - is something wrong? You know you can talk to me, yeah? You’ve been kinda…” Killua trailed off.</p><p>Despite the more relaxed air, the topic was the same. Gon felt his eyes fall to the desk once more. </p><p>Even if keeping the truth made Killua worried like this, was it right for him to just tell him now? It’d just make things worse once Killua found out. The tension would be back, no doubt, and probably turned up to a hundred. He could just imagine how hurt Killua would be that Gon kept it from him or, worse, think that Gon didn’t trust him enough with it. That was the last thing he wanted Killua to think. And if it caused a fight and Killua wanted space, seeing him every day in class but unable to talk or working with him would be torture.</p><p>No. Now wasn’t the right time. He should wait until break, when Killua could have time to process it - when he and Gon could talk about it at length and not worry about something else like homework or projects. </p><p>But Killua was asking him <em> now </em>. And right now...Gon couldn’t tell him.</p><p>"Killua, you know how much I trust you, right?" </p><p>Killua turned a shade pink, looking away from Gon's sincerity and focusing on one of the trees outside their classroom window. He nodded his head 'yes'. Gon smiled. </p><p>"Do you trust me?" </p><p>"Of course, moron," Killua grumbled. "Like you even have to ask."</p><p>His heart clenched. Killua was amazing. What did he do to deserve a friend like this? Every fiber of his being screamed to just blurt out the truth, that Killua should know, but he resisted and continued on with the only alternative. </p><p>"Then please trust me when I say I can't talk about it right now. It's not you-"</p><p>"'It's not you, it's me?'" Killua smirked, his earlier shyness now faded. "Really, Gon?"</p><p>"You know what I mean!" Gon whined. "I want to tell you, I really do! I just-"</p><p>"Can't," Killua finished for him with a sigh of acceptance. "You're gonna tell me the minute you can though?"</p><p>Gon nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. Promise."</p><p>"Fine. I guess that's better than nothing. It's not like I'd force you to tell me anyway so I'll take it." Killua leaned back in his chair, leveling him with one last look, as if he could magically figure out the secret just by Gon's face. Gon wouldn't be surprised to learn that he could - Killua stopped surprising him a long time ago. </p><p>Ready to put this topic behind them and talk about something - anything - else, Gon opened his mouth but was interrupted by Killua's phone. He watched as his friend's face turned sour, eyes filled with trouble. Ah. </p><p>"Is it a bad one?" </p><p>"Yep," Killua said, "Level 4. Those are-"</p><p>"-when the Prey is so strong it needs a team of hunters to take it down. I remember." Gon added, making sure he didn't let on more than he was supposed to know. "You gonna go?"</p><p>"Nah, gonna let it mess up a couple of buildings first. If I give it a good 5-minute headstart, maybe it’ll take down Dump Tower-”</p><p>“Killua.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” Killua relented. ”I might not be back in time for Home Ec. though so if Palm asks, cover for me.”</p><p>“Okay. Be safe,” Gon reminded him. Handing his bag over to Gon’s protective arms, Killua opened the classroom window before crawling out onto its ledge. He turned back to his friend and gave him a confident smile. </p><p>“Aren’t I always?”</p><hr/><p>
  <em> “I can’t believe you! I thought you were my friend!” </em>
</p><p>“No…” Gon called out. “Killua…Don’t. I’m so-”</p><p>
  <em> “You’re ALWAYS sorry! Well, guess what Gon? I’m sorry. I’m sorry I ever trusted you in the first place!” Killua screamed out him, tears forming a river down the boy’s cheeks. He sent sparks of electricity through the air, illuminating his body and the entire room that was once a void of darkness. A flash of lightning and that was it. Killua was gone. Vanished. Out of Gon’s life forever. </em>
</p><p>Gon gasped for air, sweat clinging to his back and chest tight. Not again. He looked at the alarm clock on his bedside. <em> 4:17 </em>. He unclenched his hands releasing the sheets within them - now crumpled and abused from his death grip. The night air around him remained quiet, oblivious to his heightened state and frantic pulse. Exhausted, Gon pushed himself out of the covers and made his way to the kitchen for a glass of water to calm down. Careful to avoid waking Aunt Mito and Abe, still probably fast asleep at such an early hour, he plucked a glass from the cabinet and filled it halfway. Every drop cooled his senses, his heartbeat steadily returning to normal. He rinsed and placed the cup into the dishwasher before heading back to bed, climbing back to his slightly damp sheets and resting his eyes for the second time tonight. </p><p>He drifted back to sleep, praying Killua would be smiling this time instead of crying. </p><p>Gon clutched his Soul Gem - its orb a murky swamp of green. </p><hr/><p>Two. No, three. There were definitely three. Gon readied his punch, the usual green glow illuminating his knuckles.</p><p>“Your left!” Killua’s - no, <em> SilverShock’s - </em>voice rang out from a distance. Before Gon could even think about dodging, SilverShock had taken care of it. The Prey cried out in pain, its body convulsing with anguish as the magical electricity coursed through its veins. One down, two to go. Deeming Gon now safe, SilverShock went back to dealing with his original target.</p><p>“Thanks,” Gon called out, his attention back to his opponent. He collided his fist into the Prey’s jaw, its bones crackling in repercussion to the blow. The monster fell back into a nearby building, one thankfully strong enough to not collapse under the increased weight. He landed down, knees aching with strain. Gon winced. </p><p>Something was wrong with his powers. Landing, even messy, shouldn’t hurt him this bad. Maybe he had overdone it with that last punch? But they hadn’t been fighting for more than 5 minutes, he couldn’t be out of power yet. He steadied his lungs, taming his choppy breaths, before concentrating on his Soul Gem and starting the purification incantation. The sooner he took care of his Prey the better. Just as he was about to finish, however, he realized his mistake. Appearing from nowhere, a wolf-like Prey vaulted its hulking body and rammed into Gon’s, flinging him into something hard, most likely made of some type of metal. Maybe a mailbox, although he couldn’t be too sure - he was too busy concentrating on the taste of iron in his mouth to focus much. </p><p>That wasn’t a good sign.</p><p>“FistAid!” Gon heard Killua’s voice, strained and concerned. He stopped himself again. No. Not Killua.<em> SilverShock </em>. Killua was SilverShock right now and he was FistAid. Right...right. </p><p>He shook his head to clear his thoughts and rolled his tongue across his teeth, feeling for cracks. Well, at least he hadn’t broken a tooth, those took forever to heal unless it was using powers like Leorio’s. Shakily, Gon stood up, his knees wobbling in disagreement. In his ears was a wheezing sound, breaths foreign to his brain. Was that him? He opened his eyes, the sight of the looming beast hazy and blurry in front of him. He had to move. He had to. He readied his fist again- </p><p>“-Hey, Ugly. Over here!” SilverShock yelled. The Prey turned its head curiously towards the owner of the voice, ignoring Gon without a second thought. Streams of blue light overtook his vision and the tell-tale sign of the Prey’s defeat rang through the air. </p><p>He felt his body relax and slump to the ground, grateful that he no longer had to muster the strength to fight. Blood or sweat - or both - trickled down his temple. He wiped at the annoyance with a tired hand, grunting a bit when he saw the bandage wrapped around it turn a muddy red. Blood. Definitely blood. Gon leaned his head back to rest on the destroyed mailbox. </p><p>Tired. He was so, <em> so </em> tired.</p><p>“FistAid.”</p><p>But he couldn’t rest yet.</p><p>“Yeah?” Gon waited for - oh, forget it, he was too tired to care anymore what he should call him - <em> Killua’s </em> reply. The Hunter was looking down at him palely, eyes the bluest and most worried Gon had ever seen since they met. </p><p>“You look like crap,” Killua said, trying to remain his usual playful self. Gon wasn’t buying it though, he could tell when Killua was putting on a brave face. He must look pretty bad if Killua was trying to cheer him up.</p><p>He laughed or tried to, at least. Ouch. Every part of him ached. </p><p>“Can you...heal yourself?” Killua suggested, squatting down beside him and surveying his injuries. </p><p>“Not enough power left, I think.”</p><p>“<em> Great </em>,” Killua responded sarcastically before going quiet again - most likely searching his brain for some type of solution. He was about to suggest Killua call for help, Leorio hopefully, before he heard a sharp intake of air. </p><p>“W-what? What’s wrong?” Gon panicked. Was he in worse shape than he thought?</p><p>“It’s okay. I...have an idea.”</p><p>Gon tensed. He didn’t like the way Killua said that. He was too injured to wait for Leorio then it seemed. </p><p>“What is it?” </p><p>Fingertips familiar and grounding wrapped around his, causing Gon’s heart to leap into his chest. Was that-</p><p>“Are you holding my hand?” </p><p>“Shut up, I’m trying here!” Killua stuttered, reminding Gon of the same words said only a few days ago. He smiled. How the heck did it take so long for him to figure out his friend’s true identity again? “I’m going to share some of my powers with you.”</p><p>He could do that?</p><p>“I don’t know, I’ve never tried it before.”</p><p>Oh. Guess he said that out loud. “How…?”</p><p>“I’m going to shock you technically. Not to hurt you though. Just to charge you, if that makes sense. Kinda like how those paddle’s EMTs use to restart someone’s heart, you know?” Killua tried to explain.</p><p>“I’m not dead though,” Gon supplied worriedly. This plan seemed risky even to him.</p><p>“Well, duh, of course you aren’t. I’m not giving you enough to bring you back to life or anything, just to supply your powers with a source of energy. Like electric energy and then you convert it to chemical energy or however your powers work. It’s cellular, right?”</p><p>“...Um,” Gon squeaked in confusion.</p><p>“Nevermind, just. Trust me, okay?” Killua sighed in frustration. </p><p>Gon tightened his grip, squeezing Killua’s hand in affirmation. “I can do that.”</p><p>“...’kay,” Killua mumbled shyly before closing his eyes. “On three I’m going to shock you. I want you to try and focus on the feeling of my powers and use it to heal yourself. Ready?”</p><p>“Ready.”</p><p>“1...2…” - Killua sucked in a breath - “3!”</p><p>Gon felt his hand tingle, the strange feeling of Killua’s lightning currents stinging his nerves and travel up his arm in less than a second. He imagined taking hold of that feeling and sending it to his injuries, just like how he pictured when using his own powers. He felt his skin mend and repair even faster than normal - almost jumping in surprise when he felt his fatigue fade instantaneously. This was…</p><p>Amazing. He never felt like this before. Wasn’t lightning supposed to hurt? Wasn’t it deadly? Wasn’t it one of the most destructive things in the word? There’s no way that could be true. Not with the way it made Gon feel so alive. It was like a million fireworks were exploding inside his body. Like eating a bag full of Poprocks in one go, the crackles tickling your tongue and stomach but now all over his skin and in every cell. It was…</p><p>Amazing. </p><p>Amazing.</p><p>Just like Killua. </p><p>“...thanks.” </p><p>“Huh?” Gon asked breathlessly. Oh. The lightning was gone. When did that happen?</p><p>“You said ‘<em> You’re amazing’. </em>” Killua pushed a white tuff of hair out of his now bright red face. “So. Thanks. I guess.”</p><p>Gon felt color rise to his cheeks himself, but he ignored it and smiled anyway. He was the one that should be saying ‘thank you’.</p><p>“A-anyway,” Killua cleared his throat and rose up, turning to face away from his friend’s smile<em> . </em></p><p>Gon laughed to himself. <em> ‘Cute even as Silver,’ </em> his brain commented.</p><p>“Now that you’re all good, I’m gonna take off and report to the old geezer. Neither of us has much power left to do any decent cleanup repairs so we should leave it to the Organization.”</p><p>“That’s a good idea, Silver,” Gon said, picking himself up off the ground on steady feet. “Thanks again. I’m glad you’re the one that responded to the alert.”</p><p>“Ugh, stop being so embarrassing,” Killua said, trying to hide his smile. “I’ll see you later, Patchy.”</p><p>With a wave goodbye, Gon was left alone - smile still plastered on his face and the tingly lightning remnants still electrifying his skin. A happy sigh sounded from his lips and he checked to make sure no civilians were nearby before letting his powers dissipate and his form return to normal. Feet guiding him to the half cafe - half bookstore further down the street and untouched from the Prey attack, he finally let the adrenaline leave his body. </p><p>And that was stupid of him really, now looking back on it.</p><p>“Hi, how can I help y- hello?! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!!” a woman, voice somehow motherly and warm, working the cash register cried out - immediately leaving her post and running to the front of the counter. Gon could hear other footsteps and murmurs coming from somewhere around him not long after. How many people he wasn’t sure…</p><p>He couldn’t see them. </p><hr/><p>All he could smell was salt.</p><p>Well, salt and a really strong cologne - both of which gave away who was in the room with him immediately.</p><p>“...Kite? Leorio?” Gon croaked out, his voice unrecognizable even to himself. He opened his eyes to see both men hovering over him in relief, but still with worried expressions. </p><p>“Hey kiddo, how you feeling?” Leorio asked with a small chuckle.</p><p>“Not too hot,” Gon laughed before breaking out into a cough, his throat obviously angry with its owner’s mistreatment and neglect for however long he had been out cold. “What happened?”</p><p>“You were irresponsible - like always - is what happened,” a familiar and motherly voice chided from the doorway. In it stood an absolutely livid looking Mito, arms filled with what appeared to be groceries, mostly apples. Abe stood slightly behind her, eyes happy to see her great-grandson awake and talking. </p><p>Gon paled. </p><p>“Would you care to explain to me <em> why </em>-” she held up his Soul Gem pendant, “- you let it get to this point? It’s not even green anymore!” He watched as Mito’s hand shook, her voice choking with held-back tears. “You could have told me. I know I’m not a Hunter. I know I’m not your mom-”</p><p>“You are,” Gon interrupted, unable to let Mito remotely think Gon viewed her as anything less. “You’re the only mom I’ll ever have or want. I just…”</p><p>“Just what?” she whispered.</p><p>“Didn’t want to worry you,” he confessed, eyes falling to look at his lap. “I knew it was dumb and selfish of me, but I didn’t want you to have to worry. You already hate seeing me fight on the news, I didn’t want to give you another reason.”</p><p>“You’re right,” Mito said, walking over to his bed and placing the groceries on his bedside table. “That <em> is </em>dumb and selfish.” She smiled softly at him, her lips contradicting her words. “I’m going to worry about you no matter what you do or where you are, regardless. You are just going to have to accept that. You could have been a fisher and I would have worried about storms at sea - or a doctor and worried about you overworking yourself. You could have even been a janitor and I would’ve found something to worry about like finding a gun in a dumpster and shooting yourself on accident,” she smiled at her nephew’s hoarse laugh. “My point is, I’m going to worry. So it’s better you just tell me. Because you know what makes me worry even more?” </p><p>Gon shook his head softly, waiting for the answer.</p><p>“Seeing you like this. This makes me worried the most. So please, don’t ever - and I mean <em> ever </em>- be worried about telling me something again. You said I’m your mom, right? Well then let me be a mom. Let me worry. And let me help you when you need help.”</p><p>Gon felt a tear roll down his cheek, his heart stuck in his throat. He nodded, unable to speak.</p><p>“Good,” Aunt Mito laughed, her own eyes misty as well. She sniffed a bit and wiped Gon’s cheeks with one of the tissues by the hospital’s sink. “Now then, how about some apples? I’m sure you’re starving since you’ve been in here sleeping for days.”</p><p>“Days?! How many?!” Gon gasped out, shocked he had been here that long.</p><p>“Just two.” Leorio chuckled at the young Hunter’s outburst, taking a seat next to the bed and adjusting his patient’s fluids. “You’re lucky I’m friends with the woman who works at that bookstore. She knew what was wrong the second she saw your Soul Gem and called me."</p><p>Gon widened his eyes. Wait, so then- "She knows stuff about us Hunters?"</p><p>"She <em> is </em>a Hunter. You know Unisong?" </p><p>Gon nodded enthusiastically. </p><p>"That's her real identity. Name's Melody. Oh, and don't worry, she told me I could tell you all - saying you had a 'kind soul with a joyous sound to it'. In other words, she trusts you and your family, " he elaborated. </p><p>Gon thought about the woman's voice - that explains why he found it familiar. Wait. If he had been in here for so long- "What did you tell Killua? My friends-?!”</p><p>Leorio raised his eyebrows as if he didn’t quite follow. Kite, on the other hand, understood immediately. “I let your homeroom teacher know what happened and to tell all your friends that you fainted on your way home from school the day before yesterday. He assured them it didn’t seem serious, just fatigue, but they were keeping you here at the hospital to keep an eye on everything just in case. Killua actually stopped by yesterday...right?” </p><p>Mito nodded, now peeling one of the apples she had bought. “Yes, he and Alluka stayed for quite a while in fact. The nursing staff had to practically tear him away when visiting hours were over,” she laughed at the memory.</p><p>“So, he…?” Gon looked back at Kite, checking to confirm his suspicions. </p><p>“No, he doesn’t know.”</p><p>Gon sighed. That was a relief. This was the last way he wanted Killua to find out. </p><p>“Actually, about that,” Leorio piped up, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. “I know it’s not really any of our business, but I know I personally can’t just stand back anymore. It’s not healthy - this secret keeping. White lies here and there aren’t too bad, but something like this where the guilt weighs on you? I mean, it’s killing you. Actually, <em> physically </em> killing you, kiddo.”</p><p>Gon clenched his fists. He was right, but…</p><p>“If I may - ” Abe spoke for the first time since stepping into the room, her “ - I think, as adults who have had a <em> lot </em> more time to gain experience in secret keeping, our advice might be worth taking a listen to.” She laughed as every person besides Gon bowed their heads in embarrassment, denying such a statement. Leorio, in particular, mumbled out that he wasn’t <em> that </em> old, but Gon grinned at the comment anyway and nodded that he would hear them out. “If you are waiting for the right time to tell him, I’m going to let you in on a little secret, Firefly,” Abe told him gently. “The truth is, there <em> is </em>no ‘right time’. You will always find a reason not to, whether it’s raining that day and it’s bad luck or because he might have already gotten bad news. There will always be a reason. So the key is to just rip the bandaid and let the skin begin to heal. Tell him...and do your best to fix everything after.”</p><p>Mito placed the now peeled and sliced apple on a napkin, handing it to Gon with care, and hummed her agreement. Gon looked around to see if Leorio and Kite felt the same, unsurprised to see they did. Abe had a way of putting words that made the answer always seem obvious to him, like he was blind for ever trying a different way. It was like that when she explained math to him or when she would teach him how to chop veggies. It was like that when it came to how to tell Killua too it seemed. </p><p>On his nightstand, his phone buzzed - a light chime accompanying it. That was Killua’s tone. Aunt Mito picked it up, giggling a bit at whatever the message said, and handed it to Gon for him to see. Sure enough, it was Killua texting him - the most recent of many, apparently. Killua always complained that Gon texted way too much but if the 50 plus messages and 3 missed calls in under two days proved anything, it was that Killua, when missing his best friend at school, was just as bad.</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 7:12] hey. where r u? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 7:12] they had those donuts on sale and i got u 1 so unless u want me to eat it u better hurry up </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 7:48] seriously gon alluka is guarding it with her life but im faster than her so like. U snooze u lose and if u are still asleep i swear to god </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 8:05] so class is starting...and u arent here. and ur never late without texting me first to cover for u. Im not gonna say im worried but u know. Im worried.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 8:05] if i find out there was a prey attack and u got caught in it and are dead im going to shock u back to life just to kill u again </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 9:16] GON FREECS. PICK UP YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU FAINTED. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 9:16] I WAS JOKING ABOUT THE DYING THING BUT SERIOUSLY. WHAT HAPPENED.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 9:17] this better not be because of that thing you won’t tell me about. If it is, i'm going to be majorly pissed.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 12:02] i guess ur still asleep since you haven’t answered. alluka wanted me to tell you she did an origami cat for u to get better soon. whatever that does. i thought it was cranes that did that but she says its an inside joke?  anyway we are coming to see u after school.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Tuesday 12:03] hope u wake up soon. </em>
</p><p>Gon scrolled through them all, most being about what he figured they would: random complaints that class was boring and he’d have a lot of work when he came back or any Prey attacks that he figured Gon would probably like to be kept in the loop about. It wasn’t until he got closer to the end, a random message at around two in the morning, that caused him to take a pause and reread.</p><p>
  <em> [Wednesday 2:28] you better wake up. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Wednesday 2:29] going to school and you not being there sucks. I miss you. I miss you a lot. It’s only been a day but. I don’t know. I just. It feels like it’s been a lot longer. I know that’s stupid. It sounds stupid. But yeah. I miss you. So you better wake up.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Wednesday 3:31] and you better not bring this up one day 10 years down the line and say “remember that time you said you missed me after one day” or something because if you do I’ll stick my yo-yo so far down your throat even Leorio won’t be able to pull it out with surgery. These texts never happened, okay? </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Wednesday 3:31] so whatever you do, just wake up. Anyway. Night.  </em>
</p><p>Gon swallowed the last bite of his apple, realizing he somehow had already finished the plate. He must have been trying to get rid of the knot in his throat while reading Killua’s messages. He knew they were best friends and hoped that Killua cared about him as much as he did. But to see it with his own two eyes like this was completely different. This was proof. He reread them again, at least the third time now, before scrolling through the rest and then reaching the ones that caused his phone to buzz in the first place.</p><p>
  <em> [Wednesday 16:04] class is over so omw solo this time since alluka is going to wings dojo. apparently 1 of her classmates has a tournament today??? and she wants to cheer him on??? idk i think she has her first crush so once ur awake ur coming with me to check him out and make sure hes not a weirdo or anything.  </em>
</p><p>
  <em> [Wednesday 16:15] also stopped by delmars for the usual so u better be up if not im giving urs to mike when i get back home. i even made sure it had those gross pickles u like and everything so ye. </em>
</p><p>Gon breathed in slowly, calming his nerves before answering. </p><p>
  <em> ‘I’m up! And that sounds great because I’m starving! thanks so much Killua!!!!’  </em>
</p><p>Before he could back out, he sent one more. <em> ‘There’s also something I want to tell you when you get here, okay? You might get angry, and I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but I want you to hear me out first. Sorry for getting all serious. See you soon’ </em></p><p>He stared down at the phone, waiting for a response. Never in his life did he think he’d be so happy to see a bunch of letters pop up on a tiny screen. There, hovering right below his messages were the words <em> ‘Killua is typing’ </em>.</p><p>The bandaid was ripped.</p><hr/><p>Killua peeked his head into the room, giving the open door a few knocks for courtesy’s sake. “Okay to come in?” </p><p>“Of course, Killua.” Gon’s aunt welcomed him in before standing up from her seat. He swore he saw her give Gon a wink before moving to stand near him by the door and looking to the other visitors, but he wasn’t sure why. “We were actually just leaving to get some food down in the cafeteria. Do you want anything?”</p><p>“Nah, I’m good. Actually - ” Killua grinned, handing her a wrapped tuna sandwich from the to-go bag, “ - I picked you up your favorite. You too, Granny - turkey on rye, right? I figured you guys were still here and might be hungry.”</p><p>Abe accepted the sandwich warmly, giving the boy a hug in return.”This is why you’re my favorite of his friends,” she whispered for Killua’s ears only, laughing when his cheeks turned a touch pink. He smiled back. The feeling was mutual. </p><p>“What about the doctor that’s been looking after the patient this whole time? That’s been tending to him night and day. You know, your old pal Leorio?” Killua noticed Leorio side-eyeing the takeout bag. He rolled his eyes - pulling out and tossing a meatball sub at the man and laughing when he caught it with a ‘Hey! Watch it!’</p><p>It was when he noticed the last visitor, one with silver hair and a blue hat, that Killua felt a little guilty. He didn’t know Kite was here or he would have picked him up something too. Killua opened his mouth to say so but Kite beat him to it. </p><p>“Don’t worry, I have dinner plans anyway so there’s no harm. I’ll have you treat me when you come on one of my fishing trips instead. Sound good?” Kite smiled at him, tone slightly teasing but its sincerity and warmth ringing true. Killua grinned and agreed, ready to hold his science teacher to that sometime soon. He hadn’t ever tried it before, but Gon had been trying to talk him into coming to the docks with him and Kite a lot and he was anything if not excited. </p><p>Killua took a seat next to Gon’s bed - taking out their own sandwiches now - and waved bye to everyone. It was pretty obvious that the cafeteria trip was just an excuse and they were really just giving him a chance to talk to Gon alone for a bit, which he appreciated. Gon was his best friend and he hadn’t seen him in days, so sue him if he wanted to monopolize him for a bit. </p><p>There was also that thing Gon wanted to talk to him about. The ‘serious’ thing. </p><p>If he was honest, part of him didn’t want to know. There was a decent chance that the ‘thing’ was about whatever was making Gon so stressed out as of late - stressed enough to even freaking pass out. It was what was causing him his sleeping troubles most likely too. And if that was the case, Gon had made it crystal clear in the past that he didn’t really want to tell Killua about it. Even worse? Gon said that he’d probably get mad when he learned what it was.</p><p>And that was what really scared him. He couldn’t really think of anything that would make him be truly angry with Gon. He had been upset and worried about him, but never <em> actually </em>mad. Killua was also fairly sure that Gon was aware of this too, since it felt like sometimes Gon would push his buttons on purpose or act a little more selfish around him because he knew it was okay. In a way, Gon knew how much he had Killua wrapped around his finger even if he didn’t understand why or what that meant. So for him to think Killua would be angry…</p><p>It must be something really important that he kept secret.</p><p>He handed Gon his sub before unwrapping his own, taking a bite. He figured Gon would tell him when he was ready, so in the meantime, they might as well eat. A few good bites into the sandwich and half a finished orange juice, Gon seemed to be ready and he put down his meal, adjusting himself in the bed to face slightly more toward Killua. Killua himself brushed off some crumbs of his sub on his face and grabbed his soda, leaning back in his chair. Sipping on the sweet drink, he motioned for Gon to go ahead. </p><p>“Do you remember...telling me about why you became a Hunter?” </p><p>Killua raised an eyebrow. What the hell did that have to do with anything? “Sure?” he answered, confused as to where Gon was going with this. </p><p>“You said you wanted to kill your family. I didn’t get it at first, especially since Killua isn’t that type of person - I mean, you don’t <em> like </em>hurting others - so it must have been for a good reason. And then when you explained it, I got it. ‘Of course, Killua would want to kill them’ I thought. They hurt his sister and didn’t really care about him either. Both you and Alluka were just...objects to them. And they were killers too - hired guns. But because they were like that and no one would ever be able to stop them, that also meant that you couldn’t live free from them. So, you wished that they would die since it was the only way.” Gon smiled sadly at him, the gravity of his words sinking into the air. </p><p>“...yeah.” He...didn’t really know what else to say to that. They had discussed this before so it wasn’t as if this was new information, especially not to him, but it was like Gon was acting as if he just now figured it out. Why were they even talking about this again?</p><p>“Hunter’s become Hunters for different reasons. Every one of them wishes for something, right?” Gon started again, his head tilted slightly downward. </p><p>“Yeah. We do.” Killua repeated. He waited for Gon to finish his question but was surprised when he found his friend now looking upward to the ceiling, his eyes sad - almost guilty. What was going on-?</p><p>“Did you know that Kite died? Back when I was 12,” Gon said.</p><p>He froze. What? But-</p><p>“He was on a fishing trip and a bad storm hit. I was at summer camp when it happened so I didn’t find out until I got back home. I was supposed to be on the boat with him - just the two of us - but Aunt Mito had signed me up for the camp during school and I forgot,” Gon whispered, like the words hurt to even be spoken out loud. “Kite told me I could go next break instead but I still had a weird feeling. And it turned out I was right. Kite left that day and they found his body two days later with his broken ship.”</p><p>Killua felt a numbness in his fingers and loosened his hold on his soda. If what Gon was saying was true then-</p><p>“I blamed myself, you know. It was stupid - ” Gon laughed, as if his past 12-year-old self was nothing but a joke to him, “ - but I thought that, somehow, if I was there with him, he wouldn’t have died. That maybe if he had an extra pair of hands he could have maneuvered the waves easier, or maybe I could have swam and gotten help when the shipwrecked, since I was a better swimmer than him. So...it was my fault. Because I wasn’t there. Kite died because I wasn’t there for him.” </p><p>“...It wasn’t your fault,” Killua spoke up finally. Gon looked at him, eyes misty and a watery smile. </p><p>Oh.</p><p>“You wished that Kite was alive.” It wasn’t a question. </p><p>Gon nodded. “Yeah.”</p><p>Killua stood up quickly, feeling his pulse race at the confirmation. All the canceling of plans. All of Gon’s specific Hunter questions. The way Gon would get upset whenever he talked about FistAid around him, like he was comparing the two of them. The fact that Gon and FistAid were practically identical in every way. How he thought he heard FistAid the day Gon found out and also explained why FistAid was so tired in combat lately too. And then now-? How did he not see it? How-?</p><p>“How.” He felt his heart catch fire. This <em> moron- </em> “how could you <em> ever </em> think I’d be mad at you for something like this? Did you ACTUALLY think I’d-”</p><p>Gon looked up at him with wide eyes. “Wait, hold on-”</p><p>“I? I can’t believe you!” Killua found his feet pacing the floor in frustration, ignoring his friend’s pleas to slow down. “Actually, no. I take it back, I AM mad. Not because you’re a Hunter and you didn’t tell me,” - he spat out, eyes now sharp as daggers - “but because you THOUGHT I would be MAD about you hiding it in the first place!”</p><p>“...So you’re mad that I thought you’d be mad?” Gon asked slowly.</p><p>“YES. I thought it was something awful, like you were moving away or you had cancer and that’s why you passed out or. I don’t know! This though? Seriously?” He calmed his breathing, rant now over and his thoughts now relaxing. He pinched his brow before sighing and asked Gon a simple question: “Don’t you think that if this really was something to get mad about, you would have gotten angry when you found out about mine?”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“...huh. I...never thought of it like that.”</p><p>That was it. Killua stomped over to the table and grabbed his sandwich before heading for the door. </p><p>“Where are you going?!” Gon called out.</p><p>“I’m going to the cafeteria while <em> you </em> grow some brain cells!”</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“So, when you said I was your favorite Hunter,” Gon asked, blowing a small bubble with his gum. “Did you mean-”</p><p>“Shut. Up.” Killua grumbled, regretting every nice thing he ever said about his friend’s alter ego. </p><p>“I mean, you know you are still my favorite, so I just thought maybe-”</p><p>“Ugh! Yes, I think you’re cool. Yes, I think you are one of the strongest Hunters here in Yorknew. And yes, I enjoy fighting alongside you! There!” Killua huffed. He popped another stick of gum into his mouth, sticking his tongue at his now giggling sister by his side. <em> Traitor. </em></p><p>“Good. Because I only think it’s fair. I mean, if we are going to be boyfriends-”</p><p>Killua choked on his gum. </p><p>“<em> What. </em>” he croaked out, gum now past his windpipe.</p><p>“Hm? What?” Gon cocked his head to the side. </p><p>“Repeat that last sentence and see what’s wrong with it.”</p><p>“‘<em> I only think it’s fair’ </em>?” he asked.</p><p>“After that.”</p><p>“Oh! The boyfriend thing? Do you not want me to call you that in front of Alluka? I mean, I know you don’t like PDA-”</p><p>“That’s-! That’s not the <em> problem... </em>,” Killua flushed, his voice cracking before finishing his objection. </p><p>“It’s not?” Gon asked innocently.</p><p>“No! I mean-” Killua felt his face grow brighter. Was it hot out here?</p><p>“I don’t think Brother knew you two were dating,” Alluka finished proudly, a knowing smirk on her face. He hissed in his sister’s direction.</p><p>“Because we aren’t!” </p><p>“Well, we should,” Gon said matter-of-factly. “I mean. I like you. And you like me too right? So it’s simple. You said I needed to stop overthinking stuff from now on, because it led to the whole ‘Black Soul Gem’ thing so here I am - not overthinking it. ”</p><p>“...”</p><p>“...Brother, you’re really red-”</p><p>“Shut up.”</p><hr/><p>
  <em> [5 months later] </em>
</p><p>“So, you and Alluka are coming over tomorrow for dinner?” Gon asked, weaving his fingers between Killua’s and a content smile resting on his lips.</p><p>“Yeah, Mito’s making meatloaf right? Should we bring anything?” Killua checked, keeping an eye on his sister currently inside the toy shop.</p><p>Gon shook his head. “No, I think we have everything. Maybe some dessert? Mito really liked those cookies Alluka had last time.”</p><p>“Sounds good, I’ll see if we have any left. If not, we can make some more tonight. Right, Sis?” Out of the toy shop entrance stood a happy Alluka - smiling widely, her new treasures in hand. Before she could answer, both of the boy’s phones sounded. Alluka could only sigh in resignation, realizing she’d probably be making the cookies by herself now.</p><p>“Just be safe, okay?” she reminded them, watching as they both responded to the alert. </p><p>“We will,” Gon promised for the both of them while Killua went on ahead, checking to make sure the nearby alleyway was clear for their transformation. </p><p>Alluka waved goodbye as Gon followed soon after, a distant roar catching her attention somewhere near the bay and confirming what she already knew - the Prey was a big one. With a flash of light from the alley and two blurs of blue and green, she knew it wouldn’t be long before the roaring stopped, however. </p><p>Humming to herself, she took her time heading home - Mr. Sakamoto and Mr. Kurisu smiling and offering her a bouquet to take for half off on her way. She declined, saying she spent all her money for the week, but that she’d definitely take them up on the offer next time, walking away with a daisy in her hair because they just couldn’t let her leave empty handed. She greeted Mike at the door, excited to see her home finally, but sad once he realized Killua wasn’t with her. With a laugh, she handed him one of his favorite treats as a consolation prize, amazed at how something so cheap and simple could distract him so, before heading to her room to display the newest addition to her collection. Rows of figurines - all of varying sizes, color, and outfits - decorate her bookcase, the top 3 shelves almost filled to the brim now. She carefully rearranged them, moving one of her favorites of Gon with a smile on his face and a fist in the air closer to the front as well, carving out a spot dead center for the find she bought today. Package opened and protective plastic discarded, she placed the figurine tenderly on the shelf and stood back to admire her handiwork. </p><p>There, in between all her favorite poses and outfits of her brother and their friends stood her most prized possession today. SilverShock and FistAid stood side by side, arms interlocked and smiling at each other. Their outfits billowed in imaginary wind, their hair colors looked slightly when compared to the real deal, and the tiny sparks of blue electricity and glow-in-the-dark green fists were definitely cheap looking. All in all, the figure probably wasn’t all that spectacular to most, its quality likely to be outdown in less than a week, but that wasn’t what made it so special. What made it special was what it meant. </p><p>On the base of the toy read the title of the figurine and what Hunter line it was part of. Etched in tiny, reflective gold flakes were 15 words Alluka couldn’t be prouder to read. It was fitting that this was her crowning glory.</p><p> </p><p><em>  ‘Team </em> <em> Defibrillator: FistAid and SilverShock </em></p><p><em> Limited Edition, 2020 </em> <em> <br/></em> <em> Created to commemorate the first official Pro-Hunter couple’ </em></p><p> </p><p>She <em> was </em>their biggest fan, after all.</p><p>
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  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Writing has become a little easier now and I'm hopeful for my next work, though it probably won't be as long as this lol. Right now I'm struggling to choose between 3 different aus I have been working on in the background since way back when I first started this series: Pokemon trainer au, Photoblogger!Gon and Painter!Killua, or Witch!Killua and Flowershop!Gon. If you'd like to help me choose which to focus on first and be next, I'd really appreciate you tell me in a comment below. Or, if you have a different suggestion for the next work, I'm all ears for that as well :D </p><p>Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope you enjoyed reading. I can't wait to bring you another story.</p>
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